‘Ukraine can win back all land, Russia a paper tiger’: Trump makes u-turn after meeting Zelenskyy

In what appears to be an astonishing u-turn, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that Ukraine can win back all of its land under Russian occupation.

In a rare derision of Vladimir Putin’s regime, Trump called Russia a “paper tiger”. He said in a social media post after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Ukraine can win back all its land with time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, Nato.

Trump on Tuesday met Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. He also said that Nato members should shoot down Russian aircraft breaching their airspace. But he said the US involvement in such shoot-down would depend on circumstances.

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With Zelenskyy by his side, Trump called the Ukrainian leader “brave man” and said he had a lot of respect for Ukraine.

“We have great respect for the fight that Ukraine is putting up. It’s pretty amazing, actually,” said Trump.

So far, Trump and his top aides had maintained that Ukraine would never get its pre-war borders back and would have to cede land to reach a peace agreement. They had suggested freezing battle lines. Putin on his part had sought the surrender of all provinces that he had claimed, not just territory under Russian control.

On his part, Zelenskyy in his public remarks beside Trump said that more sanctions were need to press Russia to reach a peace deal. He called upon all European countries to stop buying Russian energy.

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Trump appears to have taken a u-turn

In a post on Truth Social shortly after meeting Zelenskyy, Trump said that he believed after getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine-Russia military and economic situation that think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union (EU) was in a fight and win all of Ukraine back and restore pre-2022 borders.

Trump also said that Russian economy was in shambles. He said that Russia and Putin were in a big economic trouble.

In his post, Trump appeared to echo his speech earlier in the day at the UNGA. In the speech, he had said that Russia had not been able to win even after more than three years when it was said in the beginning that Russia would overrun Ukraine in weeks if not days.

Trump said that “Russia has 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”.

Trump further said, “This is not distinguishing Russia. In fact, it is very much making them look like ‘a paper tiger’”. He further said that “it’s almost impossible for them [Russians] to get gasoline through the long lines that are being formed” as a result of the diversion of resources to the war.

As for Ukrainians, Trump said that they have a “great Spirit, and only getting better”.

“Ukraine would be able to take back their country in its original form and, who knows, maybe even go further than that!” Trump said.

In public remarks before the closed-door meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump said that he believed in his social media post.

“I really do feel that way. Let them get their land back,” said Trump.

At the United Nations (UN), however, where diplomats from the world over have gathered for the UNGA leaders’ session, European officials were puzzled about Trump’s apparent u-turn and wondered if he was ditching peace efforts entirely and laying ground for the restoration of full political and economic ties between the United States and Russia, according to The New York Times.