U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Ukraine can win back all territory lost to Russia, a dramatic shift from the U.S. leader’s call on Kyiv to make concessions to end the war.
Trump offered his position on social media soon after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Trump wrote in part, “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. 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.”
Zelenskyy has been pushing Trump to show more support for Kyiv’s war effort, including by imposing tough new sanctions on Russia. Many Ukrainians were shocked when Trump gave Russian President Vladimir Putin red carpet treatment at a mid-August summit in Alaska, and believe Moscow will not stop its war unless it faces heavy external pressure.
Prior to that meeting, Trump had suggested Ukraine should be prepared to concede some territory to Russia in order to reach a peace deal.Â
But in his post on Tuesday, Trump criticized Russia, saying it had been fighting “aimlessly” in a war that a “real military power” would have won in less than a week.
“This is not distinguishing Russia. In fact, it is very much making them look like ‘a paper tiger.”‘
But Trump has not imposed tougher sanctions and he and aides have seemed to indicate that Kyiv must cede both Crimea and parts of Eastern Ukraine to Russia in order to end the deadliest conflict in Europe in 80 years.
U.S. will continue to supply weapons
In his post on Tuesday, however, Trump hinted at stronger action, saying: “Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act.”Â
In his meeting at the UN with Trump, Zelenskyy sought additional U.S. help in defending his country from Russia’s onslaught of missiles, drones and bombs.
Trump said the U.S. will continue to supply weapons to allies “for NATO to do what they want with them.”
The two presidents, who have had strained ties in previous sitdowns, greeted each other warmly.
“We have great respect for the fight that Ukraine is putting up,” Trump told Zelenskyy, who replied that he had “good news” from the battlefield.
Russia launched its largest airstrike on Ukraine since the start of the war, hitting and setting fire to a government building in central Kyiv for the first time. As U.S. President Donald Trump continues to try to end the war in Ukraine, Andrew Chang explains why Russian President Vladimir Putin keeps escalating it.
Images provided by Getty Images, The Canadian Press and Reuters.
In his speech to the General Assembly earlier Tuesday, Trump said the war in Ukraine was making Russia “look bad” because it was “supposed to be a quick little skirmish.”
“It shows you what leadership is, what bad leadership can do to a country,” he said. “The only question now is how many lives will be needlessly lost on both sides.”
With his troops under strain on the front line after more than three years of fighting Russia’s bigger invading army, Zelenskyy was meeting world leaders in New York and was due to speak at a special UNÂ Security Council session on Ukraine.
During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump insisted that he would quickly end the war in Ukraine. But peace efforts set in motion by Trump since he returned to office in January appear to have stalled.Â
Push for sanctions and cutting off Russian oil
European leaders and American lawmakers, including some Republican allies of Trump, have urged the president to dial up stronger sanctions on Russia. Trump, meanwhile, has pressed Europe to stop buying Russian oil, the engine feeding Putin’s war machine.
Trump said “powerful tariffs” would “stop the bloodshed… very quickly.” He repeated his calls for Europe to “step it up” and stop buying Russian oil.
Before meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump held talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who said Europe would be imposing more sanctions and tariffs on Russia and that the bloc would be further reducing its imports of Russian energy.
European leaders have supported Zelenskyy’s diplomatic efforts, with some alarmed by the possibility that the war could spread beyond Ukraine as they are facing what they have called Russian provocations.
NATO allies will hold formal consultations at Estonia’s request on Tuesday, after the Baltic country said that three Russian fighter jets entered its airspace last week without authorization.
Trump said he would back NATO countries that choose to shoot down intruding Russian planes but said direct U.S. involvement would depend on the circumstances.
