U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he believed Ukraine could reclaim all territory occupied by Russia, calling on Kyiv to act while Moscow faces “big” economic troubles. The remarks, made after his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, marked a striking departure from his earlier suggestions that Ukraine consider territorial concessions for peace.
“Putin and Russia are in BIG economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He added that, with European Union backing, Ukraine was “in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form” — a reference to territories including Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.
The shift drew praise from European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who described the statements as “very strong” and aligned with Europe’s position. Zelenskiy called the meeting “good, constructive” and welcomed Trump’s remarks as a “big shift,” later telling Fox News that Kyiv and Washington were now “closer than any time before.”
Trump’s tone contrasted sharply with his recent outreach to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a summit in Alaska, where he had signaled interest in accelerating peace talks. On Tuesday, however, Trump criticized Russia’s faltering military campaign, describing it as “aimless” and branding Moscow a “paper tiger.”
Still, there was no immediate indication of new U.S. measures to match the rhetoric. Trump pledged only to continue supplying weapons to NATO for European allies to channel to Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the U.N. Security Council that Washington remained committed to peace but would “impose costs for continued aggression” if diplomacy failed.
Zelenskiy has pressed the U.S. to tighten sanctions on Russia, a demand he repeated in New York. Trump said he was prepared to impose stronger economic penalties but stressed that European allies must also act, criticizing some for continuing to purchase Russian oil. Zelenskiy also suggested Trump could provide security guarantees to Ukraine once the war ends.
Russia dismissed Trump’s remarks. “Don’t get so excited about every tweet,” said Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy. Former U.S. Representative Tom Malinowski described Trump’s words as “an amazing 180-degree turn,” but questioned whether they would be followed by concrete action: “If nothing, then it’s just words.”
