LONDON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised his “productive assembly” with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations Common Meeting on Tuesday, after which Trump appeared to jettison his long-held skepticism of Kyiv’s battlefield ambitions.
Shortly after the assembly, Trump wrote on social media, “After attending to know and absolutely perceive the Ukraine/Russia Army and Financial state of affairs and, after seeing the Financial bother it’s inflicting Russia, I believe Ukraine, with the assist of the European Union, is able to battle and WIN all of Ukraine again in its authentic type.”
The assertion marked a dramatic pivot away from the White Home’s established place that Kyiv won’t be able to liberate the 20% or so of its internationally-recognized territory occupied by Russian forces since 2014.
Trump has repeatedly advised that Zelenskyy must cede — or “swap” — some territory to realize a peace cope with Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling the Ukrainian president at a fractious February Oval Workplace assembly, “You do not have the playing cards.”
However on Tuesday, the president appeared to have modified his tune. “With time, persistence, and the monetary assist of Europe and, specifically, Nato, the unique Borders from the place this Warfare began, could be very a lot an choice. Why not?” Trump wrote.
President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy throughout the eightieth United Nations Common Meeting, in New York Metropolis, September 23, 2025.
Alexander Drago/Reuters
“Russia has been preventing aimlessly for 3 and a half years, a warfare that ought to have taken a Actual Army Energy lower than per week to win,” he continued, suggesting Moscow was a “paper tiger” citing its battlefield failures.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov disputed Trump’s feedback, telling the RBC information company on Wednesday, “Russia shouldn’t be a tiger; Russia is extra carefully related to a bear. There are not any paper bears. Russia is an actual bear.”
Peskov additionally rejected Trump’s suggestion that the Russian economic system was struggling. “Let’s not neglect that the world has entered a stage of utterly unpredictable macroeconomic situations,” he informed RBC.
“We’re persevering with our particular navy operation to guard our pursuits and obtain the targets” set by Putin, Peskov mentioned. “We’re doing this for the current and way forward for our nation. For a lot of generations to come back. Due to this fact, we now have no different.”
Trump, Peskov mentioned, “heard Zelenskyy’s model of occasions. Apparently, this model was the rationale for the evaluation we heard. We can’t agree with all the pieces right here.”
Russian International Minister Sergei Lavrov is anticipated to satisfy with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the UNGA on Wednesday.
Noting that deliberate assembly, Peskov mentioned that Russia-U.S. “channels of dialogue are working, we’re speaking to the Individuals, and President Putin nonetheless extremely values Trump’s willingness to assist, Trump’s willingness to hunt an answer collectively.”
A Russian soldier stands exterior a faculty within the city of Kurakhove, within the occupied Donetsk area, on Sept. 23, 2025.
Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy mentioned in a publish to Telegram that he was “grateful to President Trump for sturdy cooperation with the US.”
“The president clearly understands the state of affairs and is effectively knowledgeable about all points of this warfare,” Zelenskyy added. “We extremely respect his willpower to assist finish this warfare.”
Chatting with reporters after the assembly, Zelenskyy described Trump’s pivot as “an enormous shift, a very large shift.”
Requested if the social media publish by Trump is a “recreation changer” for the warfare, Zelenskyy responded: “Trump is a recreation changer by himself.”
Zelenskyy added that he thinks the president is now conscious of “extra particulars” of what’s occurring on the battlefield, and advised that U.S. intelligence on the state of affairs is aligned with Ukraine’s.
Zelenskyy additionally mentioned it was “excellent news” that Russia’s economic system is struggling amid the strains of its full-scale invasion, however that it was “dangerous information” that Moscow nonetheless has the sources to fund its warfare.
President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy throughout the eightieth United Nations Common Meeting, in New York Metropolis, New York Metropolis, September 23, 2025.
Evan Vucci/AP
“Trump agreed with me that Putin will not await the warfare in Ukraine to finish,” he added. “He’ll attempt to exploit weak locations in Europe, in NATO nations, he’ll attempt to do it.”
Oleksandr Merezhko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament representing Zelenskyy’s celebration and chair of the physique’s international affairs committee, informed ABC Information he noticed Trump’s assertion as a “nice shock, giving some hope that he lastly is beginning to view Russia’s warfare in opposition to Ukraine in a unique gentle.”
“On the similar time, realizing how typically Trump would possibly change his stance, we ought to be cautiously optimistic,” Merezhko added. “What issues are his actions, concrete steps to assist Ukraine, not solely rhetoric, nevertheless good it may be.”
“Trump’s assertion implies that the U.S. will proceed to promote weapons to the European and NATO nations for Ukraine,” he added. “And likewise it may be inferred from this assertion that Ukraine will not be restricted in the usage of American weaponry within the territory of Russia.”
Oleksiy Goncharenko, a outstanding opposition member of parliament, was much less sanguine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a web-based assembly with leaders of BRICS group of states from Sochi, Russia, on Sept. 8, 2025.
Vyacheslav Prokofyev/through Reuters
“Trump’s assertion shouldn’t be about Ukraine’s victory, it’s about washing arms of the warfare,” he wrote on Telegram. “He immediately says: ‘You cope with the EU there. I hope you succeed. Good luck to everybody!'”
“Clearly, proper now Russia doesn’t wish to cease,” Goncharenko added. “However our process is to not danger the lives of tons of of hundreds, however to be on the protection.”
“The fact is that we’re neither shedding nor profitable,” he continued, warning that embarking on a expensive “warfare of attrition” could be “idiocy.”
ABC Information’ Karen Travers, Michelle Stoddart, Hannah Demissie, Mariam Khan, Anna Sergeeva and Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.
