U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he believed Ukraine could reclaim all territory occupied by Russia, urging Kyiv to act swiftly as Moscow faces what he described as “big” economic problems.
The comments, made on Truth Social shortly after Trump met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, marked a sharp shift in tone from his earlier suggestions that Kyiv should consider ceding land to end the war.
“Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act,” Trump wrote. “With the support of the European Union, [Ukraine] is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form.”
Such an outcome would require Ukraine to expel Russian forces from around 20 per cent of its territory, including Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014.
Zelenskiy, who described his meeting with Trump as “good, constructive,” hailed the remarks as a “big shift.” He later told Fox News the positions of Washington and Kyiv were “closer than any time before.”
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Europe’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, also praised Trump’s statements, calling them “very strong” and noting they brought the U.S. and Europe into “the same understanding.”
Despite the rhetoric, there was no immediate sign of a shift in U.S. policy. Trump reiterated that Washington would “continue to supply weapons to NATO for NATO to do what they want with them,” while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the U.N. Security Council the United States still sought a peaceful resolution.
Zelenskiy has urged Washington to impose tougher sanctions on Russia to force it into negotiations — a step Trump has not yet committed to.
Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, dismissed Trump’s comments, telling reporters: “Don’t get so excited about every tweet.”
Former U.S. lawmaker Tom Malinowski described Trump’s remarks as “an amazing 180-degree turn, which might not last long,” adding that without concrete action, they could remain “just words.
