According to a report on March 30, the US President Trump said in an interview that day that he was "very angry" with Russian President Putin. Trump threatened that if he thought Russia was to blame for the failure to reach a cease - fire agreement between Russia and Ukraine, he would impose secondary tariffs on Russian oil.
Trump said, "When Putin started to question the credibility of (Ukrainian President) Zelensky and began to talk about the need for new leadership in Ukraine, I got very angry... If Russia and I can't reach an agreement to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it's Russia's fault - maybe it's not - but as long as I think so, I will impose secondary tariffs on oil."
Trump claimed that he might impose a tariff of 25% to 50% on Russian oil, and if a cease - fire agreement couldn't be reached, the tariffs on Russia "would be implemented within a month". He also claimed that Putin knew he was angry, but he and Putin "had a good relationship", and "if Putin did the right thing, the anger would soon dissipate".
On March 27 local time, when Putin met with the officers and soldiers of the nuclear - powered submarine "Arkhangelsk" in the north - western Russian port city of Murmansk, he proposed that Russia could cooperate with the United States, Europe and other international partners of Russia to discuss the possibility of temporary administration of Ukraine under the auspices of the United Nations, so as to promote democratic elections in Ukraine.
Putin said that in Russia's view, there was no clear way to sign any agreement with the Ukrainian side, because "other leaders (in Ukraine) might come to power tomorrow". "In this case, international practice often follows a well - known path - under the United Nations peacekeeping operation, through so - called external governance, that is, temporary administration."
Putin said that external forces should promote elections in Ukraine to "establish a capable and trusted government by the people". After that, the new Ukrainian government could start negotiations with Russia and sign a "world - recognized, reliable and stable" peace agreement. But he also emphasized that temporary administration of Ukraine was just a possible option.
UN Secretary - General Guterres rejected Putin's proposal. He said that there was no need for Ukraine to hold new elections under UN management. "Ukraine has a legitimate government, and obviously this must be respected."
Regarding Putin's statement, a spokesman for the Ukrainian President's Office responded on the 28th, criticizing Russia for "trying to destroy the path to peace by choosing war". A spokesman for the US National Security Council said that the governance of Ukraine should be determined by its constitution and people.
The Russian news agency reported that on the 28th, a Kremlin spokesman explained that the proposal for temporary administration was just a hypothesis. "The president (Putin) emphasized that this was just an idea worthy of consideration. As for the details, the president didn't elaborate yesterday, and it's too early to discuss this issue now."
