WAIT, WHAT?!
Ukraine can take back all of its land occupied by Russia, Trump says
The US president stated on Tuesday that Ukraine can reclaim all its territory with EU support, following a meeting with Zelenskyy. He questioned Russia's military strength and suggested stricter sanctions if negotiations fail.
Ukraine can win back all of its territory, US President Donald Trump said, following his meeting with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday.
"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 in a post on his platform Truth Social.
Trump was possibly referring to the 1991 borders and meant Kyiv could take back all of the territory occupied by Russia, including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
"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."
He stated he was convinced of this "after getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia military and economic situation and, after seeing the economic trouble it is causing Russia."
"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 pointed out.
This is the first time that Trump has suggested Ukraine could be capable of taking back all of its lost land and the first time he has openly questioned Russia's military strength.
The two presidents met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York after Trump's address. In the meeting, Trump told Zelenskyy that "We have great respect for the fight Ukraine is putting up," more than three years after Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbour.
In turn, Zelenskyy gave Trump a battlefield update, saying Ukrainian troops had advanced some 360 kilometres in recent weeks and inflicted losses on Russia's forces.
"Thanks to our soldiers, we have this possibility, this opportunity, and we will continue until Russia will stop this war," Zelenskyy said.
He again insisted on more international pressure on Russia to bring about an end to the war, saying, "We need more pressure and more sanctions."
Addressing the UNGA earlier on Tuesday, Trump reiterated that he is ready to impose stricter sanctions on Russia but insists that all European countries should do the same.
"In the event that Russia is not ready to make a deal to end the war, then the United States is fully prepared to impose a very strong round of powerful tariffs, which would stop the bloodshed I believe very quickly," Trump said in his speech, adding that the only precondition he has is for Europe to stop purchasing Russian oil and gas.
During their talks, the US and Ukrainian presidents said they believe both Hungary and Slovakia, the two countries that have so far resisted pressure and continued to buy Russian oil, can be convinced to switch suppliers
Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Tuesday that his country had no intention of stopping purchases or Russian oil, saying they had no infrastructure in place to buy from anywhere else.
And Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close ideological ally of Trump, has also demurred about seeking energy supplies elsewhere.
"He is a friend of mine. I have not spoken to him, but I have a feeling if I did, he might stop. And I think I'll be doing that," Trump said about the Hungarian prime minister.
The meeting in New York happened as the US President's months-long efforts to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine had yielded little in the way of results.
When asked if he still trusted Putin, Trump responded: "I'll let you know in about a month from now."
NATO members should down Russian aircraft in their airspace
During his meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump also stated that NATO member countries should shoot down Russian drones and fighter jets if they enter their airspace.
When asked by journalists if countries reporting airspace violations should shoot down the aircraft in question, Trump said, "Yes, I do".
Trump did not give any further details on a NATO counterresponse to a string of airspace violations, allegedly by Russia, and stopped short of committing to US involvement in any such action.
"Depends on the circumstance," he said. "But you know, we're very strong toward NATO."
Trump's comments come after three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace without permission on Friday. That incident happened a week after at least 19 Russian drones flew into Poland.
And on Monday night, Copenhagen and Oslo airports were closed briefly due to drones being detected near them.
While investigations into those overflights are still under way, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Russian involvement could not be ruled out.
In Abrupt Change, Trump Says Ukraine In ‘Position To Win’ War With Russia
By RFE RL
In an abrupt change showing his frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump said Ukraine could win back all of its territory from Russia with the help of its European allies.
Trump has previously said both sides would have to cede land to end the war. Russia currently controls around one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, including the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was illegally annexed in 2014.
After a speech at the UN General Assembly where he called on European allies during his address to immediately stop buying oil from Russia, Trump told reporters at the start of a meeting with Zelenskyy that NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter the alliance’s airspace.
He followed that with comments in a social media post after the Zelenskyy meeting saying 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.”
“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.
Zelenskyy noted the “big shift” in Trump’s comments while speaking alone at a news conference, adding that the US leader’s understanding of the situation on the ground in Ukraine is now much clearer.
“Trump had a relationship with Putin and he trusted him. Putin was telling Trump fairytales,” Zelenskyy said, referring to Trump as a “gamechanger.”
“I told Trump that Putin will not wait for the end of his war in Ukraine — he will try to find a weak spot in NATO and this is already happening…Putin will want to ‘exchange’ one war for another.”
Zelenskyy entered the day looking for Trump to ratchet up pressure on Moscow to end its war — the longest and deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II — against Ukraine.
It didn’t take long as Trump said as the two headed into the meeting “Yes I do” when asked if he would support shooting down Russian aircraft if they were found inside NATO airspace.
He said the involvement of the United States in such action would depend on the circumstances but did not elaborate.
Trump’s answer follows a series of recent incursions by Russian fighter jets and drones into alliance airspace in countries including Poland and Estonia.
They also came after the US president called on European allies during his UN address to immediately stop buying oil from Russia and accused China and India of funding Moscow’s war against Ukraine through their purchases.
Trump said he could impose sanctions on Russia to stop the fighting but without similar actions from Europe, “we’re all wasting a lot of time.”
Sanctions, along with security guarantees in the event of a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow, are areas Zelenskyy is hoping to get White House support during their discussions.
Trump said he plans to call Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an ally of the US leader, to urge him to stop purchasing Russian oil.
Zelenskyy, who is due to attend a UN Security Council session on the war in Ukraine on September 23 and will address the assembly on September 24, told reporters he saw movement from Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on ending Russian oil purchases as well.
Hungary and Slovakia, both landlocked countries that share a border with Ukraine, have resisted calls to end their reliance on Russian energy without promises of securing sufficient alternative supplies.
Trump also appeared to give Ukraine a pledge of military support saying the US will continue to supply weapons to allies “for NATO to do what they want with them.”
Zelenskyy also noted that Trump was “ready” to give Ukraine security guarantees after the war is over.
“We don’t have details. We will work on what we need then and also what we need before that happens,” he said.
Talks on bringing the two sides to a peace agreement have stumbled for several months.
Trump met with Putin in Alaska last month producing a glimmer of hope that movement toward peace might begin.
But the Kremlin quickly threw cold water on the prospect of a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy in any location other than Moscow, which is unacceptable to Ukraine.
The past few weeks have brought no discernible progress toward peace and plenty of belligerence from Russia, which has pressed forward on the front lines, hit civilians in Ukraine with massive bombardments, and challenged NATO with drone and warplane incursions.
“Putin has shown no interest in a negotiated way out of the war, other than on his totally unrealistic terms,” Lawrence Freedman, an analyst and emeritus professor of war studies at Kings College London, wrote in a blog post published on September 23.
Trump has voiced growing frustration with Russia’s recalcitrance and has repeatedly said he might hit Moscow with new sanctions, including secondary measures that target countries and companies buying Russian energy or delivering technology it can use in the war against Ukraine, and bipartisan groups of US lawmakers have proposed sanctions legislation in Congress.
So far, other than increasing tariffs on Indian imports by 25 percent over its purchases of Russian oil, Trump has refrained from slapping new punishments on Russia and its trading partners.
At times, he has voiced concern that imposing new sanctions would hamper his efforts to bring Putin to the table.
RFE RL
RFE/RL journalists report the news in 21 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established.
Trump says Kyiv can win back 'all of
Ukraine' in major shift
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Ukraine could win back all of its territory from Russia – and even go further – in a major pivot after meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Issued on: 23/09/2025 -
By: FRANCE 24
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he believed Ukraine could win back all territory lost to Russia, a dramatic shift from the US leader’s repeated calls for Kyiv to make concessions to end the war.
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The astonishing turnaround came shortly after Trump also called for NATO countries to shoot down any Russian jets that violate their airspace.
"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 said on his Truth Social network after his talks with Zelensky.
Trump also said Russia was "fighting aimlessly" after three years of war, in an apparent change of heart just over a month after he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
The US president has previously shown lukewarm support for Zelensky, with whom he had a huge televised Oval Office bust-up in February during which he told the Ukrainian "you don't have the cards" to win.
But in his social media post on Tuesday, Trump dismissed Russia as a "paper tiger," saying that "Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act."
"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?" Trump wrote.
He added that as Russia's economy gets worse "Ukraine would be able to take back their Country in its original form and, who knows, maybe even go further than that!"
'Escalation trap'
During his meeting at with Zelensky on the margins of the UN General Assembly, Trump said he had "great respect for the fight that Ukraine is putting up. It's pretty amazing actually."
Zelensky thanked Trump for his "personal efforts to stop this war" and echoed Trump's call for European countries to stop buying Russian oil.
And after a series of recent incursions by Russian fighter jets and drones that have rattled Washington's NATO allies in Europe, Trump said they would be within their rights to act.
Read moreRussian fighter jets enter NATO member Estonia’s airspace in ‘brazen’ incursion
"Yes I do," Trump said when a reporter asked if NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter their airspace.
Trump however deflected questions about whether he believed Russian leader Vladimir Putin was still a reliable negotiating partner despite Moscow's continued attacks on Ukraine.
"I'll let you know in about a month from now, okay?" Trump said when asked if he still trusted Putin.
The 79-year-old Republican has previously, and repeatedly, given deadlines of two weeks to make a decision on whether to take steps including fresh sanctions against Russia.
Tensions between Russia and Europe over Ukraine have escalated with the recent spate of aerial violations.
NATO scrambled jets after three Russian MiG-31 fighters on Friday breached Estonian airspace for some 12 minutes, prompting Estonia to call for a meeting of the UN Security Council and talks with NATO allies.
Fellow NATO member Poland said earlier this month that Russian drones had repeatedly violated its airspace during an attack on Ukraine, in what Warsaw called an "act of aggression."
Germany reacted cautiously to Trump's comments on shooting down Russian planes, highlighting the need to avoid an "escalation trap."
"Level-headedness is not cowardice and not fear, but a responsibility towards your own country and towards peace in Europe," German defence minister Boris Pistorius said Tuesday.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday she discussed Russia's airspace violations with Trump at the UN, and agreed on the need to cut Moscow's energy revenues.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
