LONDON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised his “productive assembly” with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations Normal 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 hassle it’s inflicting Russia, I believe Ukraine, with the help of the European Union, is able to struggle and WIN all of Ukraine again in its unique type.”
It was not instantly clear whether or not Trump’s rhetorical shift can be matched with a coverage pivot. However the publish was met with cautious optimism in Kyiv, Oleksandr Merezhko — a member of the Ukrainian parliament representing Zelenskyy’s get together and chair of the physique’s overseas affairs committee — advised ABC Information.
Trump’s 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 prompt that Zelenskyy should cede — or “swap” — some territory to attain 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.”
President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy throughout the eightieth United Nations Normal Meeting, in New York Metropolis, September 23, 2025.
Alexander Drago/Reuters
However on Tuesday, the president appeared to have modified his tune. “With time, persistence, and the monetary help of Europe and, specifically, Nato, the unique Borders from the place this Struggle began, may be very a lot an choice. Why not?” Trump wrote.
“Russia has been preventing aimlessly for 3 and a half years, a warfare that ought to have taken a Actual Army Energy lower than every 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 will not be a tiger; Russia is extra carefully related to a bear. There aren’t any paper bears. Russia is an actual bear.”
Peskov additionally rejected Trump’s suggestion that the Russian financial system was struggling. “Let’s not overlook that the world has entered a stage of utterly unpredictable macroeconomic situations,” he advised RBC.
“We’re persevering with our particular army operation to guard our pursuits and obtain the targets” set by Putin, Peskov stated. “We’re doing this for the current and way forward for our nation. For a lot of generations to come back. Subsequently, we now have no various.”
Trump, Peskov stated, “heard Zelenskyy’s model of occasions. Apparently, this model was the rationale for the evaluation we heard. We can’t agree with the whole lot right here.”
Russian Overseas Minister Sergei Lavrov is anticipated to fulfill with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the UNGA on Wednesday.
Noting that deliberate assembly, Peskov stated 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 stated in a publish to Telegram that he was “grateful to President Trump for robust cooperation with the US.”
“The president clearly understands the state of affairs and is nicely knowledgeable about all points of this warfare,” Zelenskyy added. “We extremely admire his dedication to assist finish this warfare.”
Chatting with reporters after the assembly, Zelenskyy described Trump’s pivot as “a giant shift, a extremely large shift.”
Requested if the social media publish by Trump is a “sport changer” for the warfare, Zelenskyy responded: “Trump is a sport changer by himself.”
Zelenskyy added that he thinks the president is now conscious of “extra particulars” of what’s occurring on the battlefield, and prompt that U.S. intelligence on the state of affairs is aligned with Ukraine’s.
Zelenskyy additionally stated it was “excellent news” that Russia’s financial system is struggling amid the strains of its full-scale invasion, however that it was “unhealthy 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 Normal Meeting, in New York Metropolis, New York Metropolis, September 23, 2025.
Evan Vucci/AP
“Trump agreed with me that Putin will not watch for 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.”
Merezhko stated 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 special gentle.”
“On the identical time, realizing how usually Trump may change his stance, we needs to be cautiously optimistic,” Merezhko added. “What issues are his actions, concrete steps to assist Ukraine, not solely rhetoric, nevertheless good it could 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 using 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/by way of Reuters
“Trump’s assertion will not be about Ukraine’s victory, it’s about washing fingers 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 need to cease,” Goncharenko added. “However our process is to not threat the lives of a whole bunch of hundreds, however to be on the protection.”
“The truth is that we’re neither dropping nor profitable,” he continued, warning that embarking on a expensive “warfare of attrition” can be “idiocy.”
ABC Information’ Karen Travers, Michelle Stoddart, Hannah Demissie, Mariam Khan, Anna Sergeeva and Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.
