Ukraine can win back lost territory: Trump

Agencies UNITED NATIONS

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he believed Ukraine could win back all territory lost to Russia, a dramatic shift from his repeated calls for Kyiv to make concessions to end the war.

Trump made his comment in a post on Truth Social after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. “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,” Trump said. “Trump is a game changer by himself,” Zelens­kyy said after the meet.

In the post, Trump criticised Russia, saying it had been fighting “aimlessly” in a war that a “real military power” would have won in less than a week. “This is not distinguishing Russia. In fact, it is very much making them look like a paper tiger.”

PRODDING NATO

He hinted at stronger action against Moscow. “Putin and Russia are in big economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act,” the post said, adding, the US will continue to supply weapons to allies “for Nato to do what they want with them.”

He said Nato countries should shoot down Russian aircraft that violate their airspace. Recently, Russian fighter jets and drones have violated airspace of Poland, Romania and Estonia.

MOSCOW SCOFFS

The Kremlin, however, rejected Trump’s remarks about Ukraine retaking lost territories, saying Russia is an “integral part of European security”. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov attributed Trump’s comments to the fact he had just met Zelenskyy. 

“Of course, President Trump heard Zelenskyy’s version of events. And apparently at this point, this version is the reason for the assessment we heard,” Peskov told RBC radio. He said the Russian army was cautiously making gains in Ukraine and brushed off Trump’s “paper tiger” jibe.

World united, but US stands alone  

From France to South Korea, South Africa to Suriname, leaders gave strong support to the UN chief Antonio Guterres’s call to work together to address global challenges — war, poverty and climate chaos. But US President Trump had other ideas and touted his “America First” agenda.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron warned 80 years after the UN was founded on the ashes of World War II, “we’re isolating ourselves.” Speaker after speaker made similar appeals to support multilateralism.