Trump Expresses Optimism for Ukraine’s Territorial Recovery
US President Donald Trump stated that Ukraine has the potential to reclaim all territories that Russia has occupied, marking a shift from his earlier advice to Kyiv to consider concessions.
This revelation came as Trump shared his thoughts on social media following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Trump mentioned, “I believe Ukraine, with support from the European Union, is in a position to fight and reclaim all of its land in its original form… With time, patience, and financial backing from Europe, particularly NATO, the original borders where the war began are very much on the table.”
He remarked that Russia has been waging a senseless war for three and a half years, stating that any competent military would have won in less than a week. He added, “This does not reflect well on Russia. In fact, it makes them look like a paper tiger.”
President Zelensky met with Trump at the United Nations headquarters in New York, where he is seeking further assistance from the US to defend Ukraine against ongoing Russian missile, drone, and bombing attacks.
The two leaders exchanged warm greetings during the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly. Their relationship has had its share of tensions in past meetings.
Trump conveyed to Zelensky, “We have great respect for the fight that Ukraine is undertaking,” to which Zelensky responded that he had received “good news” from the battlefield.
Zelensky stated, “We will discuss how to end the war and security guarantees,” expressing his gratitude to the US President for the meeting and for his “personal efforts to stop this war.”
Additionally, Trump noted that as the conflict continues, “the biggest advance” toward concluding the dispute is that “the Russian economy is in terrible shape right now.” Zelensky mentioned that Ukraine has agreed to Trump’s call for European nations to halt imports of Russian oil and natural gas.