Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to address the UN General Assembly today after praising Donald Trump’s dramatic reversal on the war with Russia, as the American leader declared Ukraine could reclaim all its occupied territories and branded Putin’s military a “paper tiger” that is in “BIG economic trouble.”
The extraordinary shift in Trump’s position, revealed during high-stakes meetings at the United Nations on Tuesday, marks a stunning departure from his previous insistence that any peace deal would require Ukraine to cede territory to Moscow. The US president now believes Kyiv can “fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form” with European and NATO support.
Trump’s remarkable about-face came after an hour-long bilateral meeting with Zelensky on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, where the Ukrainian leader briefed him on battlefield developments and Russia’s deteriorating economic situation. The meeting left Zelensky visibly optimistic, calling Trump “a game changer by himself” and describing the president’s new stance as “very positive.
This post of Trump, it’s a big shift,” Zelensky told reporters between meetings at the UN, referring to Trump’s explosive Truth Social message posted minutes after their encounter. The Ukrainian president, who is scheduled to address the General Assembly at approximately 3:30pm Paris time today, confirmed that Trump now “understands, for today, that we can’t just swap territories. It’s not fair.”
Trump Brands Russia ‘Paper Tiger’ in Stunning Reversal
In a lengthy Truth Social post that sent shockwaves through diplomatic circles, Trump declared that “after getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia Military and Economic situation,” he had concluded Ukraine could defeat Russia entirely. The president argued that Moscow had 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.”
Trump’s scathing assessment branded Russia a “paper tiger,” pointing to recent Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries that have created fuel shortages and record-high petrol prices across the country. Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act,” the president wrote, adding provocatively that Ukraine might “even go further” than reclaiming its pre-2022 borders.
The dramatic rhetoric represents a complete reversal from Trump’s position just last month, when he gathered European leaders at the White House and insisted both sides would need to “discuss the possible exchanges of territory” to end the conflict. As recently as August, following his summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Trump had suggested that territorial concessions from Kyiv were inevitable.
Asked by Fox News presenter Bret Baier whether he was surprised by Trump’s volte-face, Zelensky laughed and responded, “a little bit,” before adding that the American president now possessed crucial battlefield intelligence he had previously lacked. “I think that president knows some details. And I think he knows more details than before. And I am happy with this, and I’m thankful for him,” Zelensky said.
NATO Should Shoot Down Russian Aircraft, Says Trump
The Ukrainian president’s optimism was further bolstered when Trump escalated his rhetoric against Moscow by declaring that NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft violating their airspace. “Yes, I do,” Trump told reporters when asked directly about the provocative proposal, though he stopped short of committing American forces to such action.
The comment came amid mounting tensions over Russian aerial incursions into NATO territory, with Norway revealing Tuesday that Russia had violated its airspace three times in 2025 alone. Poland and Estonia have also reported violations, whilst drone sightings forced the closure of Oslo and Copenhagen airports on Monday, disrupting travel for tens of thousands.
Trump’s hawkish stance contrasted sharply with his Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s more cautious approach hours earlier. Rubio had indicated the US would not shoot down Russian jets entering NATO airspace but would continue intercepting them, telling the UN Security Council that whilst Trump retained options for “additional economic costs” and “potentially offensive weaponry” for Ukraine, the president had shown “extraordinary patience” by not yet imposing new sanctions.
Kremlin Dismisses Trump’s Assessment
The Kremlin swiftly rejected Trump’s characterisation of Russia as weak, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov offering a dismissive response during a radio interview on Wednesday morning. “Russia is not a tiger but a bear, and there are no such things as paper bears,” Peskov quipped, suggesting Trump’s assessment had been unduly influenced by his meeting with Zelensky.
“Yesterday they met. Naturally, Mr Trump heard about what’s happening from Ukraine’s perspective. Apparently, that version shaped the assessment we heard,” Peskov told RBC Radio, maintaining that Moscow would continue its “special military operation” because it sees “no alternative.”
The Kremlin spokesman insisted Russia was addressing the “root causes” of the conflict, using Moscow’s longstanding euphemism for its justifications for invading Ukraine. He added that whilst Putin remained ready to meet Zelensky, any summit without serious preparation would be “nothing more than a PR stunt doomed to failure.”
European Response: ‘Time to Grow Up’
Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Scholz responded to Trump’s comments by declaring that Europe must “grow up” and step up its support for Ukraine following the American president’s endorsement of total Ukrainian victory. The shift in Washington’s position has reinvigorated European capitals, with French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly receiving Trump’s assurance that Ukraine has “the power to reclaim all of its lost territory.
However, Trump coupled his support with sharp criticism of European nations still purchasing Russian energy. During his combative UN address, he lambasted NATO members buying Russian oil and gas, declaring it “embarrassing” and “inexcusable” that they were “funding the war against themselves.”
“Think of it: they’re funding the war against themselves. Who the hell ever heard of that one?” Trump said, demanding that European nations “immediately cease all energy purchases from Russia” or risk wasting everyone’s time in peace negotiations.
Rubio Warns of Escalation Options
Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a pointed warning to Moscow at the UN Security Council, stating that Trump’s patience was “not infinite” and outlining potential American responses if Russia refuses to negotiate. “There will come a moment in which we will have to conclude that perhaps there is no interest in a peaceful resolution,” Rubio warned.
The top US diplomat revealed that Trump retained “real options” including “imposing additional economic costs on the Russian Federation” and selling “defensive weaponry and potentially offensive weaponry” to Ukraine. Rubio emphasised the staggering losses Russia had suffered, noting that Moscow had lost more soldiers in a single month than America lost during the entirety of its engagements in Afghanistan or Iraq.
This war has to end, and we have done everything we possibly can, and will continue to do everything we possibly can, to bring it to an end,” Rubio told the Security Council, whilst warning that the conflict appeared to be entering “a new stage of escalation” with historically high numbers of strikes.
Security Guarantees and China’s Role
Zelensky confirmed he would seek concrete security guarantees from Trump during their ongoing discussions, stating he hoped the president would provide assurances that would protect Ukraine from future Russian aggression. “He is ready to give Ukraine security guarantees,” Zelensky told reporters, though Trump himself said such discussions were “a little bit too early to answer.”
The Ukrainian president also took aim at China during his press conference, calling on the “powerful nation” to do more to halt the fighting. If China truly wanted this war to stop, it could compel Moscow to end the invasion. Without China, Putin’s Russia is nothing. Yet too often China stays silent,” Zelensky declared.
Meanwhile, Trump revealed that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had told him that “the whole Muslims of the world” supported his peace efforts, a statement that reportedly moved the American president. Trump held what he called his “most important meeting” with leaders from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Turkey, and Pakistan to discuss both Gaza and Ukraine.
A Dramatic Week at the UN
The developments cap an extraordinary week at the United Nations, where Trump’s teleprompter malfunction during his General Assembly speech forced him to speak “from the heart,” resulting in a combative address that criticised the UN for failing to fulfil its potential. The president even referenced a broken escalator that stopped whilst he and First Lady Melania Trump were using it, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt demanding an investigation into whether it was “intentionally” sabotaged.
As Zelensky prepares to address world leaders today, his message will undoubtedly be shaped by Trump’s dramatic endorsement of total Ukrainian victory. The shift represents a potential turning point in Western support for Kyiv, though questions remain about whether Trump’s newfound optimism will translate into the concrete military aid and sanctions needed to turn his prediction into reality.
With Russia rejecting the assessment and maintaining its military operations, and European nations scrambling to respond to Trump’s demands to cut energy ties with Moscow, the coming weeks will test whether this rhetorical shift marks a genuine strategic realignment or merely another twist in the unpredictable diplomacy surrounding Europe’s largest conflict since World War Two.
Follow for more updates on Britannia Daily
Image Credit:
Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2022 — photo by President of Ukraine, taken 16 March 2022, CC BY 4.0
