In an intense exchange following his meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump delivered a harsh critique of Russia and its military campaign in Ukraine. This has not been received well by Russia.
During the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, September 23, Trump had what seemed to be a constructive discussion with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Post meeting, Trump used Truth Social as a platform to express his disapproval of Russia’s military endeavors and criticized Vladimir Putin.
Notably, Trump appeared to shift his stance from earlier remarks where he suggested Ukraine should consider ceding territory to Russia to bring an end to the conflict.
He stated: “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.
“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. Why not? Russia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years a War that should have taken a Real Military Power less than a week to win. This is not distinguishing Russia. In fact, it is very much making them look like “a paper tiger.”
Trump further remarked on the economic woes facing Russia and its leader, stating that the US would persist in providing NATO with weapons for them to manage as they see fit.
Sky News reports that the Kremlin has since responded to Trump’s statements.
The Kremlin countered that the notion of Ukraine reclaiming territories occupied by Russian forces is ‘deeply mistaken.’
They emphasized that the conflict is ‘not an aimless war’ and acknowledged that the pace of their relations with the US is progressing more slowly than desired.
Furthermore, Russia accused Trump of leveraging his businessman persona to promote American oil and gas at elevated prices, though they acknowledged his efforts to resolve the conflict.
The term ‘paper tiger’ particularly irked the Kremlin, prompting a response from Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov.
Peskov clarified: “[Russia] is not a tiger but a bear. Russia is associated with a bear, there are no paper bears.”