Russia a ‘paper tiger’: How Trump changed his position on Ukraine, NATO

United States President Donald Trump said connected Tuesday that Ukraine – with the enactment of the European Union and NATO – tin win backmost its territory captured by Russia since the opening of the war successful Ukraine, successful a melodramatic U-turn from his erstwhile presumption that some sides volition person to cede onshore to extremity the war.

Here’s a person look astatine what Trump is saying present and however his presumption has shifted.

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What has Trump said astir Ukraine this week?

Trump posted connected his Truth Social level connected Tuesday pursuing a gathering with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy connected the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA): “I deliberation Ukraine, with the enactment of the European Union, is successful a presumption to combat and WIN each of Ukraine backmost successful its archetypal form.”

Trump adjacent mentioned NATO, which helium has often criticised successful the past: “With time, patience, and the fiscal enactment of Europe and, successful particular, NATO, the archetypal Borders from wherever this War started, is precise overmuch an option.”

He besides took purpose astatine Russia, saying it has been warring the warfare “aimlessly” and looks similar a “paper tiger”. A insubstantial tiger is idiosyncratic oregon thing which appears intimidating but does not airs overmuch of a existent threat.

The warfare successful Ukraine has raged since February 2022, erstwhile Russia launched a full-scale penetration into the country, which it described arsenic a “special subject operation”.

Trump said that the warfare would person taken a “Real Military Power” little than a week to win.

“Ukraine would beryllium capable to instrumentality backmost their Country successful its archetypal signifier and, who knows, possibly adjacent spell further than that! Putin and Russia are successful BIG Economic trouble, and this is the clip for Ukraine to act.”

Trump closed his post, saying: “In immoderate event, I privation some Countries well. We volition proceed to proviso weapons to NATO for NATO to bash what they privation with them. Good luck to all!”

In a station connected X, Zelenskyy reflected connected his gathering with Trump, saying: “I americium grateful to President Trump for beardown practice with the United States. Mr President intelligibly understands the concern and is well-informed astir each aspects of this war. We highly worth his resoluteness to assistance extremity this war.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said connected Wednesday that Russia would proceed to prosecute its warfare aims successful Ukraine “to guarantee our interests and execute the goals”.

In an interrogation with Russia’s RBC vigor station, Peskov added: “We are doing this for some the contiguous and the aboriginal of our country. For galore generations to come. Therefore, we person nary alternative.”

How has Trump’s presumption connected Ukraine changed?

Here is what Trump has said astir Ukraine’s presumption astatine different times this year:

February 2025 – ‘You don’t person the cards’

Trump’s words people a immense displacement from erstwhile the 2 leaders met astatine the Oval Office successful February and Zelenskyy was berated by Trump and his vice president, JD Vance, for not showing capable “gratitude” to the US for its assistance.

Trump besides suggested that Ukraine would person to cede territory if the warfare were to travel to an end. He told Zelenskyy: “You person to beryllium thankful. You don’t person the cards. You’re buried there. Your radical are dying. You’re moving debased connected soldiers.”

He claimed that the US had empowered Zelenskyy to beryllium a “tough guy”, adding: “ You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III.

“I person determined that President Zelenskyy is not acceptable for Peace if America is involved,” Trump wrote successful a societal media station aft the Oval Office meeting.

August 2025 – ‘There volition beryllium onshore swapping’

Then, connected August 11, up of a gathering with Russian President Vladimir Putin successful Alaska to sermon the war, Trump stated that some Russia and Ukraine would person to cede territory to extremity the war.

The US president said his upcoming talks with Putin successful Alaska would beryllium a “feel-out meeting” to find whether Putin was consenting to marque a deal, thing helium claimed helium would beryllium capable to ascertain wrong 2 minutes.

“There’ll beryllium immoderate onshore swapping going on,” Trump told reporters. He said that Russia had occupied immoderate of Ukraine’s “very premier territory” and “we’re going to effort to get immoderate of that territory back”.

Zelenskyy wrote successful an X station connected the aforesaid time that conceding onshore to Russia would not beryllium a bully idea.

“Russia refuses to halt the killings, and truthful indispensable not person immoderate rewards oregon benefits,” the Ukrainian president wrote, adding, “concessions bash not transportation a killer.”

Ultimately, Putin did not hold to immoderate benignant of bid woody arsenic Trump had hoped.

(Al Jazeera)

What territory has Russia captured from Ukraine?

During the war, Russia has formally annexed parts of 4 provinces of eastbound and confederate Ukraine: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia.

Donestsk and Luhansk are collectively called the Donbas region successful eastbound Ukraine. Russia controls each of Luhansk and portion of Donetsk. In Donetsk, Ukraine controls the areas astir the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

The Donbas portion is highly industrialised and affluent successful minerals and farmland. It is besides location to the larboard of Mariupol, which provides entree to the Black Sea.

Russia controls astir 75 percent of Kherson and Zaporizhia, the second an concern country with steel, aluminium and craft manufacturing alongside a ample atomic powerfulness plant.

Why has Trump changed his position?

Experts accidental Trump’s displacement successful words mightiness not construe to a displacement successful argumentation by Washington.

Some spot his caller stance arsenic a veiled menace to unit Putin backmost to the negotiating table. Indeed, successful effect to caller incursions into NATO members’ airspace by Russian drones, Trump besides appeared to beryllium successful favour of a robust NATO effect erstwhile helium spoke to reporters astatine the General Assembly.

Asked whether helium believed NATO countries should sprout down Russian craft that participate their airspace, helium told reporters: “Yes, I do.”

Others said his comments were apt to beryllium little targeted, however. “Trump reflects the constituent of presumption of the past idiosyncratic he’s spoken to,” Keir Giles, a Eurasia adept astatine the London deliberation vessel Chatham House told Al Jazeera.

“He volition alteration his presumption erstwhile anybody that favours Russia’s outcomes for Europe adjacent has a connection with Trump.”

Giles said that Trump changes his stance and uses presumption interchangeably, and has done truthful respective times successful the past.

“Everybody forgets that what matters is not what helium says but instead, what helium does.”