NEW YORK – US President Donald Trump signaled a dramatic shift in his public stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine on Tuesday, stating that Ukraine “can win” and regain the land it had lost.
In a flurry of diplomatic meetings and a forceful social media post, Trump labeled Russia a “paper tiger,” a sharp departure from previous calls for territorial concessions from Kyiv.
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The day’s events, which unfolded on the sidelines of the United Nations, were highlighted by a key bilateral meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Following their private discussions, Trump praised his Ukrainian counterpart, calling him a “brave man” who is “putting up one hell of a fight.”
“We have great respect for the fight that Ukraine is putting up,” Trump told reporters. “It’s pretty amazing, actually.” He also offered a blunt economic assessment of Moscow’s situation, saying the “Russian economy is terrible right now.”
When asked whether he could still trust Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump told reporters he would let them know in “about a month.”
Forceful “truth”
Following his meetings, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to provide a detailed explanation for his newfound optimism.
In a lengthy post, he wrote: “After getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia Military and Economic situation and, after seeing the Economic trouble it is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form.”
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He continued, “With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original Borders from where this War started, is very much an option. Why not?”
The post came on the heels of the meeting with Zelensky and discussed the ongoing war. Trump argued that Russia had been “fighting aimlessly for three and a half years a war that should have taken a Real Military Power less than a week to win,” which he said was making them look like “a paper tiger.”
He also suggested that once Russian citizens realize how much is being spent on the fighting, they might stop supporting the war effort. “Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act,” he posted.
Diplomatic ripple effects
The consistent message of support for a Ukrainian victory was evident in his other meetings throughout the day.
In a separate discussion with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump doubled down on his belief that Ukraine has the power to reclaim all of its lost territory. “I really do feel that way. Let them get their land back,” he said.
Macron, in turn, told Trump, “I think it’s a very, very right one.” In a meeting with EU Chief Ursula von der Leyen, the message was again focused on the economic aspects of the conflict.
Von der Leyen told Trump he was “absolutely right” to criticize European countries for continuing to buy Russian energy and outlined the EU’s ongoing efforts to sanction ports that still receive Russian oil supplies.
This new rhetoric marked a significant departure from his previous stance. Earlier this year, Trump had been more adamant that Zelensky would need to make territorial concessions as part of a peace agreement with Moscow.
His recent public comments now appear to have abandoned that position entirely.This shift in rhetoric also followed a recent meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska, which yielded no specific progress toward peace.
Praise from Ukraine advocates
The day’s events and Trump’s statements were quickly applauded by Razom for Ukraine, a US-based organization that advocates for Ukrainian interests.
The organization commended him for his leadership, stating that his remarks represented a “turning point in US policy discourse.”
Mykola Murskyj, director of advocacy for Razom, said in a statement that “President Trump showed today that he knows Ukrainians are winners.”
He also highlighted Ukraine’s “miraculous victory in the Battle of the Black Sea.”
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