President Donald Trump declared his belief Tuesday that Ukraine can win its war against Russia outright, an extraordinary shift in tone with significant ramifications for U.S. policy.
Trump shared his views on Truth Social after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
“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,” Trump said.
Trump’s position is a 180-degree shift from his longstanding view that Ukraine would have to cede territory to Russia as a condition for ending the war. Moscow holds roughly a fifth of Ukraine’s territory after invading its neighbor three-and-a-half years ago. Russian forces have slowly made gains along the eastern part of Ukraine in what has become a grueling war of attrition with hundreds of thousands of estimated casualties.
Trump argued Russia is a “paper tiger” and suggested Russian people were not aware of the damage Russian President Vladimir Putin has done to their nation. He also praised the “Great Spirit” of Ukraine and said Ukraine could “maybe even go further” than reclaiming its original territory. Trump’s comments are a stark contrast from his past statements that argued Russia was winning the war and likened Zelensky to a dictator.
Trump promised the U.S. would keep sending weapons to NATO for the alliance to use in the way it sees fit. His comments will likely prompt a furious response from Putin and Russian forces in Ukraine. It also remains to be seen how Trump’s restraint-oriented cabinet members and political allies react to his unexpected shift.
“This commitment to continue to sell high end American weapons to NATO for the benefit of Ukraine tremendously changes the military equation for Russia,” said Senator Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), a Trump ally and one of the most hawkish members of the GOP.
“President Trump and I believe Ukraine can win – a fact President Biden avoided saying for years. It is time to ramp up pressure on Putin to end this senseless bloodshed,” said Senator Roger Wicker (R., Miss.) chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Zelensky thanked Trump for having a “productive” meeting at the U.N. General Assembly and praised Trump’s newfound perspective on the war.
“I am grateful to President Trump for strong cooperation with the United States. Mr President clearly understands the situation and is well-informed about all aspects of this war. We highly value his resolve to help end this war,” Zelensky said in a social media post.
Trump and Putin met in Alaska last month for a high-stakes summit to discuss the war and the U.S. economic relationship with Russia. Although no deal came from it, both leaders took a friendly tone afterwards without offering much in the ways of details. Trump subsequently met with Zelensky and European leaders to discuss a potential cease-fire and future security guarantees for Ukraine.
Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine have been at a standstill ever since as tensions between NATO and Moscow grow due to Russian incursions into the airspace of allies, including Poland and Estonia.
NATO met Tuesday morning at Estonia’s request to address the Russian violation of its airspace and NATO’s response.
“Russia should be in no doubt: NATO and Allies will employ, in accordance with international law, all necessary military and non-military tools to defend ourselves and deter all threats from all directions,” NATO’s decision making body said in a statement.
Trump advised NATO countries to shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter their airspace when a reporter asked him about it during his conversation with Zelensky. Doing so could potentially trigger a major escalation of Russia’s war in Ukraine and expand NATO’s role in it.
Earlier Tuesday, Trump addressed the U.N. and lambasted the body for doing nothing to assist with peace negotiations around the world. Trump’s efforts have resulted in seven high-profile peace agreements to resolve long-standing wars and prevent budding conflicts from escalating.
In his speech, Trump called out European nations for failing to decouple themselves from Russian energy, thereby helping Russia finance its war. Trump floated a massive tariff package against Russia and said it would only succeed in pressuring Russia if Europe followed suit. He also proposed tariffs on China and India to stop them from funding Russia’s war through Russian energy purchases.