In a remarkable change of course on Sunday, US President Donald Trump came to Volodymyr Zelensky’s defense after Kremlin autocrat Vladimir Putin questioned the Ukrainian president’s authority. According to the host of NBC’s “Meet the Press” news program, Kristen Welker, Trump called her on Sunday morning to respond to Putin’s remarks before the weekend that Zelensky should be removed from office as part of the peace process, further toughening Moscow’s negotiating position and angering Kyiv. Trump said “I was very angry, pissed off” by those comments, Welker reported. It was a surprising tone as Trump himself has called Zelensky a “dictator” because of the country’s postponed elections, and his administration has often called into credibility the Ukrainian leader’s mandate. “If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine and if I think it was Russia’s fault”, Trump continued, then he would impose “secondary tariffs on all oil coming out of Russia.” Under Ukrainian law, elections are suspended during times of major military conflict. Zelensky’s opponents also agree that the country should not hold elections while hostilities are underway and more than a million residents have been displaced. Under Ukrainian law, elections are suspended during times of major military conflict. Zelensky’s opponents also agree that the country should not hold elections while hostilities are underway and more than a million residents have been displaced. Coincidentally, in that same phone call, Trump brought up the possibility of serving a third term himself, while the US Constitution limits a president to two terms. “I’m not kidding,” Trump told Welker. “Believe him,” Rep. David Jolly, Republican of Florida told MSNBC. “I think the biggest mistake of the last eight years is we somehow failed to give credibility to Donald Trump’s whims. Nonetheless, Trump made the unusual move of striking out at the one actual dictator of the three, and said he planned to call him on Monday. Trump’s comments came after Grigory Karasin, a former ambassador to the UK and part of the Kremlin’s negotiating team, said on Sunday that a ceasefire may not be implemented until 2026. “It would be naive to expect any breakthrough results at the very first meeting,” said Karasin, who also serves as the chairman of the Federation Council’s Committee on International Affairs. Trump had previously brought up the possibility of imposing tariffs on Russia should the Kremlin not cooperate in peace talks. He explained to NBC, “if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States.” “There will be a 25 percent tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil,” he said.