Why should Russia's refusal to make big concessions come as any surprise to either the White House or mainstream media, given Russian forces are clearly steadily gaining on the battlefield?

In a phone interview with NBC on Sunday, President Donald Trump said, "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 — which it might not be — but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia."

Trump went on to say he's "very angry" and "pissed off" particularly at President Vladimir Putin's attacking the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's and his leadership:

"I was very angry, pissed off" when Putin "started getting into [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky's credibility" and "started talking about new leadership" in Ukraine, Trump told NBC's Kristen Welker in a phone call.

Trump said that Putin's comments on Zelensky are "not going in the right location." This was in reference to a Friday plan pitched by Putin for a "transitional administration" for Ukraine under the auspices of the UN.

The immediate aim would be ceasefire leading toward "democratic" election, followed by the negotiation of a peace agreement with the new authorities.

"We could, of course, discuss with the United States, even with European countries, and of course with our partners and friends, under the auspices of the UN, the possibility of establishing a transitional administration in Ukraine," Putin said while visiting the northwestern Russian city of Murmansk.

He laid out that "we could discuss the possibility of introduction of temporary governance in Ukraine," while Ukraine holds "democratic elections, to bring to power a capable government that enjoys the trust of the people."

After this, he explained, the two warring sides would "start talks with them about a peace treaty." Putin has in the recent past complained that Zelensky is 'illegitimate' and thus can't legally be negotiated with, since he has canceled democratic elections on an indefinite basis.

So Trump has clearly brushed this aside in the new Sunday comments...

However, Trump's attacking Putin for denouncing Zelensky as illegitimate will surely not be taken as a very serious critique by the Kremlin, given the irony of Trump himself not too long ago having himself blasted Zelensky as a "dictator without elections".

Trump confirmed to NBC that he will speak again with his Russian counterpart this week. Russia has indicated that the question of the Black Sea ceasefire is still being negotiated, and is awaiting the removal of sanctions on agricultural exports which necessitates specific banks being reconnected to the Swift payment system. But Europe has that no, it won't go along with any plan which results in easing sanctions.