Russian officials are mocking President Donald Trump after he announced that Ukraine could reclaim all of its territory, marking a significant shift in rhetoric since Russia’s invasion over three and a half years ago.
Trump, after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, took to his Truth Social platform, writing that he believes Ukraine is “in a position to fight and WIN” back its land with the support of the European Union. Trump has previously suggested that ceding or swapping land to the Kremlin would be a key component in ending the war.
“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 in his post, adding: “In any event, I wish both Countries well.”
In his post, Trump also described Russia as a “paper tiger,” and said that Russia President Vladimir Putin and Russia are “in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act.”
When asked about Trump’s announcement, Zelenskyy told reporters: “It’s a big shift. This post of Trump it’s a big shift. Very positive.” Meanwhile, the Kremlin has dismissed the president’s extraordinary reversal.
While rebuffing Trump’s claim of a “paper tiger,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that the president is driven by “business interests,” according to The Kyiv Independent.
“Russia is by no means a tiger. Russia is traditionally seen as a bear. There is no such thing as paper bears. Russia is a real bear … There is nothing paper about it,” Peskov said on RBC Radio.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who has previously publicly sparred with Trump, said that the president has “ended up in an alternate reality,” The Kyiv Independent also reported: “After meeting with the clowns from Kyiv and Paris, he published a vivid post. In the new reality, everything is different. Kyiv is winning, Russia is torn to shreds.”
“He’ll be back,” Medvedev added.
Oleg Matveychev, a Russian political consultant and politician, called Trump’s words “a random number generator, a random phrase generator,” according to the outlet.
“And there’s been a saying that Trump says exactly what the last person in his office told him to say,” he said. “Do you really think he’ll say something momentous? Or will his words change anything? Nothing depends on them, nothing will change.”
The heated scoffs come as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the second day of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.
Russia controls around 19% of what is internationally recognized as Ukraine following its full-scale invasion of the country, according to Reuters, which analyzed open source maps.
