US President Donald Trump threatened to place "secondary tariffs" on oil from Russia during an interview with NBC yesterday.

Trump said he was "very angry" and "irritated" with Russian President Vladimir Putin after the latter criticized the leadership of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling into question his credibility.

Trump said Putin's comments were "not going in the right direction".

Putin suggested on Friday that Ukraine be placed under temporary UN control until a "competent" government is elected, a suggestion rejected by Washington, while Putin again targeted the Kiev and Zelenskyy governments, which the Kremlin continues to accuse of being "illegitimate".

"If Russia and I can't reach an agreement to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it's Russia's fault - which it may not be - but if I think it's Russia's fault, I'm going to impose secondary tariffs on oil, on all the oil that comes out of Russia," Trump said during the interview, reports "News".