Trump Says Ukraine Can ‘Win’ War With Russia

President Donald Trump says Ukraine can win back all the territory it has lost to Russia with the help of the European Union.  

“After getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia Military and Economic situation and, after seeing the Economic trouble it is causing Russia, 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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the United Nations in New York.  

“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 added.  

The war between Russia and Ukraine has been raging for three-and-a-half years, since Russia invaded its neighbor to its west on Feb. 24, 2022. In that time, Russia has aggressively sought to take control of large swaths of eastern Ukraine. Russia now controls portions of Ukraine’s Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.  

Trump criticized Russia’s military capabilities, arguing it should have only taken “a real military power less than a week to win” the war against Ukraine.  

“This is not distinguishing Russia. In fact, it is very much making them look like ‘a paper tiger,’” Trump said.  

Russia, according to Trump, is struggling to “get gasoline through the long lines that are being formed,” and is spending most of its money to fight the war against Ukraine. If the Russian people realize this, Trump said, “Ukraine would be able to take back their country in its original form and, who knows, maybe even go further than that!” 

“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act,” according to the president. “In any event, I wish both Countries well. We will continue to supply weapons to NATO for NATO to do what they want with them. Good luck to all!”  

In July, Trump announced the U.S. would sell weapons to NATO, which would in turn provide Ukraine with the weaponry. 

Trump’s post Tuesday represents a further alignment with Ukraine that began several months ago after Trump expressed frustration with Putin. Despite Putin’s expressing to Trump a desire to end the war with Ukraine, Russia has continued its aggressive military campaign.  

“This is the kind of leadership that wins Nobel Peace Prizes,” Mykola Murskyj, director of advocacy
for Razom, a pro-Ukraine policy group, said in a statement following Trump’s remarks.

“President Trump sent a clear signal to Vladimir Putin that any more raids into NATO airspace will result in Russian aircraft getting shot out of the sky, and he gave voice to the majority of Americans who want to see Ukraine win and Russia lose,” Murskyj said. “Putin only respects strength, and that’s exactly what we saw from President Trump today.”

Trump and Zelenskyy’s meeting Tuesday is the fifth time the two leaders have had in-person conversations over the war since Trump returned to the White House in January. Trump met separately with Zelenskyy and Putin in August and both men agreed to meet one-on-one ahead of a trilateral meeting with Trump. More than a month later, Zelenskyy and Putin have yet to make plans to meet.  

During a short period of questions with reporters ahead of the meeting Tuesday, Trump said NATO countries should shoot down any Russia aircraft that enter their airspace. In recent days, Russia has violated Polish and Estonian airspace. 

Asked about Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán continuing to purchase Russian oil, Trump said he has not spoken with Orbán—who he referred to as his “friend”—about the matter, adding, “but I have a feeling if I did, he might stop, and I think I’ll be doing that.”  

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