Trump 'growing incredibly impatient' with Russia, says Vance hours after Rubio-Lavrov clash

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on Wednesday, shortly after US President Donald Trump referred to Moscow as a “paper tiger” and expressed optimism that Ukraine could win back its seized land. The two diplomats sat down with their delegation to hold talks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

According to ABC News, the meeting went for roughly 50 minutes, and Lavrov did not respond to the journalists’ questions as he left. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the US Department of State released a short statement after the meeting, only mentioning that Rubio “reiterated President Trump’s call for the killing to stop and the need for Moscow to take meaningful steps toward a durable resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war.”

Hours after the meeting between Rubio and Lavrov, US Vice President JD Vance warned that Trump is “growing incredibly impatient” with Moscow. Trump “doesn’t feel like they’re putting enough on the table to end the war”, Vance said in North Carolina. “If the Russians refuse to negotiate in good faith, I think it’s going to be very, very bad for their country. That’s what the president made clear.”

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Trump’s ever-changing stance on the Ukraine war

For months, Trump has maintained that Ukraine would likely need to cede territory to Russia to ensure a peaceful end to the war. However, on Tuesday, Trump abruptly reversed his stance on the matter after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, insisting that Ukraine can take back the land that Russia has occupied.

“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,” Trump wrote. “With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original Borders from where this War started are very much an option. Why not?” Russia, he suggested, was a “ paper tiger” as he criticised its military.

It was not clear what led to Trump changing his tune. Zelenskyy noted that he believed Trump was aware of “more details” and that US intelligence is now more aligned with Ukraine’s view. Both sides will also keep an eye on whether Trump’s shift in rhetoric will come with any change in policy.

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Russia hits back

Russia was quick to respond to Trump’s recent remarks as it made it clear that it was a “ bear”, not a “paper tiger,” and that the American leader was mistaken. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Trump “heard Zelenskyy’s version of events. Apparently, this version was the reason for the assessment we heard. We cannot agree with everything here.”

“We will have the opportunity to convey our assessment of recent events to the American side. In particular, [Russian Foreign Minister Sergey] Lavrov will have a meeting,” Peskov added. During the meeting with Lavrov, Rubio warned that there would “come a moment in which we will have to conclude that perhaps there is no interest in a peaceful resolution” from Russia and that Trump’s “patience is not infinite.”

Meanwhile, in his address to the UNGA on Wednesday, Zelenskyy warned members that Putin wants to expand his war and spoke about what he said was a breakdown of the international order.

“International law doesn’t work fully unless you have powerful friends who are truly willing to stand up for it,” Zelenskyy said. “And even that doesn’t work without weapons. It’s terrible, but without it, things will be even worse. There are no security guarantees except friends and weapons.”

“If it takes pressure on Russia, it must be done and it must be done now, otherwise Putin will keep driving the war forward, wider and deeper,” Zelenskyy added. “We told you before, Ukraine is only the first and now Russian drones are already flying across Europe, and Russian operations are already spreading across countries … No one can feel safe right now.” Meanwhile, Trump said that NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter their airspace.