NEW YORK — U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled a sharp reversal in his stance on the war in Ukraine, declaring that Kyiv could recover “all of Ukraine back in its original form” with support from NATO and Europe.
The comments, posted Tuesday on his Truth Social platform, came after Trump met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
The shift follows months of skepticism from Trump, who had previously suggested Ukraine might have to cede territory to Russia as part of any peace deal.
“Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act,” Trump wrote, calling Moscow a “paper tiger.”
He added Ukraine could “maybe even go further than that,” though without clarifying whether he was referring to Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, or other territory.
Zelensky welcomed the remarks as a “big shift” and told reporters the U.S. had indicated it could offer Ukraine security guarantees “after the war is finished.”
He suggested this might include air defences, drones, and additional weapons, though stressed no firm details had been agreed.
Speaking later on Fox News, the Ukrainian leader admitted Trump’s words surprised him but called them “a positive signal” that Washington “will be with us to the end of the war.”
Trump’s comments also come amid heightened NATO concerns over Russian airspace violations.
In his UN address earlier on Tuesday, the president urged alliance members to shoot down Russian aircraft crossing into NATO territory, echoing calls from Poland and Estonia after a string of recent incidents.
“Russia bears full responsibility for these actions, which are escalatory, risk miscalculation and endanger lives,” NATO said in a statement, warning it would respond with “all necessary tools.”
Polish President Karol Nawrocki, addressing the General Assembly, said Warsaw was prepared to “react adequately” to any further Russian drone incursions. Moscow has denied the violations, claiming at least one was accidental.
Trump has long touted unpredictability as a hallmark of his foreign policy. Earlier this year, he privately warned Zelensky that Ukraine “did not have the cards” to prevail in a grinding war of attrition.
In August, he even floated the idea of territorial concessions in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
But his new remarks suggest an effort to reset stalled peace talks while reassuring allies of U.S. backing.
He ended his post by noting that the U.S. would continue selling arms to NATO, which could in turn transfer them to Ukraine — a less open-ended commitment than under the Biden administration, but still a stronger signal of support than Trump had offered in recent months.
