US president says Ukraine can reclaim all land from Russia

NEW YORK, United States (MNTV) – US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Ukraine has the capability to win back all territory seized by Russia, marking a sharp reversal from his earlier calls for Kyiv to concede land to end the war.

Trump voiced the new position in a social media post shortly after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

“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,” Trump wrote. “With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and NATO, the original borders from where this war started are very much an option.”

The two leaders, whose past encounters have been strained, exchanged warm greetings in New York. “We have great respect for the fight that Ukraine is putting up,” Trump told Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian leader responded that he had “good news” from the battlefield and thanked Trump for his “personal efforts to stop this war.”

Trump said the “biggest progress” was Russia’s faltering economy and pressed Europe to halt imports of Russian oil and natural gas. Zelenskyy signaled agreement, saying Ukraine supported further restrictions.

In his General Assembly address earlier Tuesday, Trump said Russia was “looking bad” because the war, now in its fourth year, was “supposed to be a quick little skirmish.” He added: “It shows you what leadership is — what bad leadership can do to a country. The only question now is how many lives will be needlessly lost on both sides.”

Zelenskyy is meeting world leaders in New York and will address a special Security Council session on Ukraine.

Trump’s earlier peace push, which included a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska and a White House meeting with Zelenskyy and European leaders, has stalled. Moscow has escalated its attacks and shown no interest in direct talks with Kyiv.

Amid calls from European leaders and US lawmakers for tougher action, Trump has urged allies to “step it up” by ending Russian oil purchases. He also floated imposing “a very strong round of powerful tariffs” that he claimed would “stop the bloodshed very quickly.”