Trump backs Ukraine as he attacks Putin's 'bad leadership' in break from previous stance

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump has dramatically reversed course on the Russia-Ukraine war, now backing a full Ukrainian victory with support from NATO and the European Union.

On Tuesday, September 23 he declared that Ukraine is capable of reclaiming all its lost territory, a striking shift just a month after he endorsed a peace deal that involved Ukraine surrendering land to Russia.

Trump voices strong support for Ukraine's full territorial recovery

President Donald Trump has made a striking reversal in his position on the Russia-Ukraine war.

Following meetings at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, September 23, Trump posted a statement on Truth Social declaring that Ukraine, with backing from the European Union, is now capable of reclaiming all its lost land.

"After seeing the economic trouble it is causing Russia," Trump wrote, "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 went further, saying that with "time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO," restoring Ukraine’s original borders is "very much an option."

He added, "Russia has 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. This is not distinguishing Russia."

In his extended remarks, Trump described Russia as a "paper tiger," suggesting that Moscow’s weakened military force can no longer sustain its aggressive ambitions. He argued that a truly capable military would have ended the conflict within a week.

Trump also pledged to bolster NATO's efforts by providing additional US weapons, enabling allies to continue arming Ukraine with munitions, vehicles, and other military aid as the war drags on.

Trump lashes out at Putin

Speaking for nearly an hour at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, President Trump sharply criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling it a strategic failure that has severely damaged Vladimir Putin’s reputation. He described the war as something Putin had expected to be "a little skirmish," but said it has now spiraled into a global embarrassment for the Russian leader.

“It shows you what leadership is, what bad leadership can do to a country,” Trump said, emphasizing, "The only question now is how many lives will be needlessly lost on both sides."

He warned that between 5,000 and 7,000 young soldiers are dying on both sides each week, and questioned how many more lives would be needlessly lost before the war ends.

Trump's sudden change of heart comes after a week of rising tensions with Russia

Trump’s latest Truth Social post came shortly after he declared that NATO nations should feel empowered to shoot down Russian aircraft if they violate allied airspace.

This dramatic shift follows a week of rising tensions, including Russian drones entering Polish airspace and multiple incidents of Russian fighter jets breaching NATO borders, sparking alarm among US allies in Europe. Just last month, Trump struck a very different tone during his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where he supported a land-for-peace deal. That proposal would have seen Ukraine cede contested regions, such as Donetsk, to Russia in exchange for ending the conflict.

At the time, Trump acknowledged that Russia currently controls about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory, and argued that peace could only be achieved if Ukraine agreed to give up those areas, rather than demanding a ceasefire first.

But after a face-to-face meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the United Nations this week, Trump reversed his position in what many see as a major blow to Putin's agenda. When questioned about his Truth Social post, Trump doubled down, telling reporters that Ukraine "can fight too" and that he now wants to “let them get their land back.”

Internet reacts to Trump's change of heart on the Russia-Ukraine war

As Trump voiced support for Ukraine reclaiming its territory in his post about the Russia-Ukraine war, many internet users quickly responded, praising his stance and backing his plan.

One user wrote, "Justice is coming."

A social media user wrote, "You gave Russia a chance to end this. They didn’t take it so sorry Vlad…"

A user hailed, "Brilliant Truth spoken as it should be ~ Thank you President Trump, superior leadership as usual."

A person agreed with Trump's plan, "We need to support Ukraine to defeat Rusia." A person added, "This is the FAFO President to all who has to deal with him.  He’s fair , brutally honest and most of all Sincere…. Says what he does and DOES WHAT HE SAYS !!!!  PEACE THRU STRENGTH 🇺🇸⚔️🇺🇸❤️🤍💙 🙏🕊️✝️." 

A commenter shared, "This is brilliant Statesmanship. I honestly love how our President utilizes Social media for Persuasive purposes & transparency. This is clearly meant as a strong warning to Putin that he will very likely lose EVERYTHING, including previously annexed land, IF he doesn’t seriously come to the table & end the conflict; nor is it an empty promise, as this is the outcome that the EU has wanted, so President Trump is clearly warning Putin that if he keeps gambling he will lose everything."

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