In a sharp departure from his earlier tone, President Donald Trump on Tuesday declared that Ukraine could reclaim all its lost territories with NATO’s backing, signaling a dramatic shift in U.S. rhetoric on the war. Standing beside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Trump dismissed Moscow’s forces as “a paper tiger” that has been “fighting aimlessly for three and a half years.” His remarks drew applause in Kyiv, cautious nods in Europe, and barbed retorts from the Kremlin.
Trump doubled down on Truth Social, insisting Ukraine could “fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form” with European Union support. He urged NATO to shoot down Russian aircraft trespassing into allied airspace — a call that was met with terse affirmations from European leaders. “Got it,” wrote Estonian lawmaker Marko Mihkelson. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski echoed: “Roger that.”
Zelensky, seizing on Trump’s turnabout, told Fox News that the U.S. president now recognized that trading land for peace was no solution. “God bless, I really count on this,” he said. Trump, for his part, hailed Zelensky as “a brave man” leading “one hell of a fight.” In response, Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, posted a flexed bicep emoji — a nod of approval.
Moscow, meanwhile, bristled. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov scoffed at Trump’s “paper tiger” jab, noted CBS News. “Russia is associated with a bear. There are no paper bears. And Russia is a real bear… There is nothing paper here,” Peskov said. “Russia maintains macroeconomic stability. Yes, Russia is experiencing certain points of tension and problematic points in different sectors of the economy, which is inevitably connected with those myriads of economic restrictions, sanctions which we face, and so on, with the global economic disorder. This is not just sanctions. Let’s not forget that the world has entered an absolutely unpredictable economic situation.”
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev mocked Trump, claiming he had been fed an “alternative reality” and predicting he would soon “come back” to his old position. Margarita Simonyan, editor of state-run RT, likened Trump’s promises to a “tarot card reader” peddling illusions.
Trump debuts as the tarot card reader telling the thrice-divorced lady that she is going to meet that billionaire prince after all, as long as she buys the magic crystals. pic.twitter.com/6btFHbQ540
— Margarita Simonyan (@M_Simonyan) September 23, 2025
In Europe, however, Trump’s rhetoric was welcomed as overdue. Olof Gill, spokesman for the European Union, called the engagement “now so strong and meaningful” in countering Russian aggression. Analysts noted Trump’s words underscored Russia’s failure to translate its limited advances into decisive gains. Tatiana Stanovaya of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center observed: “Russia hasn’t turned its tactical military edge into any strategic breakthrough.”
Ukraine continues pressing a modest counteroffensive in Donetsk even as it absorbs losses in Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk. For now, Trump’s bold proclamation has given Kyiv new hope and Europe firmer ground. Yet Moscow’s defiance — underscored by recent airspace incursions over Estonia and Poland—suggests the path ahead is anything but settled.
