Trump, in rhetorical shift, says Ukraine can retake all its land with EU help

In a striking rhetorical shift, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed strong support for Ukraine’s efforts to reclaim all territories occupied by Russia, including Crimea, in a Truth Social post on Tuesday.

Speaking after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Trump wrote, “Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act.”

“After seeing the Economic trouble (the war) 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,” he said.

That would ostensibly require Kyiv to expel Russian forces from 20% of its territory, including the Crimean peninsula Moscow has held since 2014, in what would be an extraordinary reversal.

This marks a significant departure from Trump’s earlier suggestions that Kyiv might need to cede land for peace, which had raised concerns in Ukraine about potential deals recognizing Russian control over occupied areas.

Zelenskyy described the meeting as “good, constructive” and praised Trump’s statement as a “big shift,” telling Fox News that the positions of the U.S. and Ukrainian teams were “closer than any time before.”

Europe’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, also welcomed Trump’s remarks, noting they were stronger than previous statements. However, there was no indication of a concrete U.S. policy change, such as imposing the heavy sanctions on Russia that Zelenskyy has repeatedly urged.

Trump’s only firm commitment was to “continue to supply weapons to NATO for NATO to do what they want with them,” referring to a mechanism allowing European nations to purchase U.S. weapons for Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested the U.S. still hopes for a peaceful resolution but is prepared to “impose costs” if Russia continues its aggression.

Combative UN speech

In a combative 56-minute speech to the U.N. General Assembly, Trump pressed European allies to adopt strong economic measures against Russia, criticizing some for continuing to buy Russian oil.

“They’re funding the war against themselves. Who the hell ever heard of that one?” he said, threatening “powerful tariffs” if Russia does not end the war.

He has reportedly considered sanctions on countries like India and China that do business with Russia, though Hungary, Slovakia, and Turkey remain key buyers of Russian oil in Europe.

Trump also claimed Russia’s economy is faltering and called it a “paper tiger,” asserting a “real military power” would have won the war in less than a week.

Beyond Ukraine, Trump’s U.N. speech was laden with grievances, including sharp criticism of the EU and climate change policies.

He derided European nations’ energy policies as “suicidal,” calling climate change a “con job” and urging a return to fossil fuels, despite scientific consensus on human-driven climate change.

Trump offered his U.S. immigration crackdown as a case study for what other world leaders should do to curb mass migration that he says is altering the fabric of nations. Human rights advocates argue the migrants are seeking better lives.

“I’m really good at this stuff,” Trump said. “Your countries are going to hell.”

Trump’s speech included unsubstantiated claims, such as falsely alleging London Mayor Sadiq Khan wants to impose “sharia law” and claiming U.S. inflation has been “defeated,” despite recent Federal Reserve data showing rising inflation.

Trump’s rhetoric extended to other issues, including rejecting U.N. efforts to endorse a Palestinian state amid Israel’s Gaza offensive, arguing it would reward Hamas. He called for an immediate ceasefire-for-hostages deal in Gaza and complained that the U.N. does not support his peacemaking efforts, even citing personal grievances like a malfunctioning U.N. escalator and teleprompter.

Former U.S. Representative Tom Malinowski called Trump’s Ukraine statement an “amazing 180-degree turn” but cautioned it might not last, questioning whether Trump would back his words with action. Russia’s Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy downplayed the significance of Trump’s remarks, advising against overreacting to “every tweet.”

With Reuters, edited by g.g.

Caption: A handout photo made available by Ukrainian Presidential Press Service shows US President Donald J. Trump (R) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) meeting at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, New York, USA, 23 September 2025. EPA/PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT