US President Donald Trump has said Kyiv can “win all of Ukraine back in its original form”, marking a major shift in his position on the war with Russia.
U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled a major shift in his position on the war in Ukraine, stating that Kyiv could “win back all of Ukraine in its original form” with the backing of Europe and NATO.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Ukraine could reclaim “the original borders from where this war started,” suggesting Russia’s economic troubles have created an opportunity for Ukraine to act. He added that Ukraine might “even go further than that,” though he offered no specifics.
The comments followed a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after Trump’s address to the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
Trump, who has long called for an end to the war, had previously suggested Ukraine might have to cede some territory to Russia—an idea Zelensky has consistently rejected. The new statement marks a significant departure from that view.
Trump did not mention Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, nor did he clarify whether his new stance includes that region. He said his outlook changed “after getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia military and economic situation,” describing Russia as a “paper tiger” facing serious economic challenges.
Zelensky welcomed what he called a “big shift” in Trump’s position. Speaking at the UN, the Ukrainian leader said he understood the U.S. was open to offering Ukraine post-war security guarantees, though he admitted there were no clear details yet. He hinted these could include additional weapons, air defense systems, and drones.
Earlier Tuesday, Trump also called on NATO countries to shoot down Russian aircraft that violate their airspace, referencing recent incidents involving Russian jets and drones entering the skies of NATO members like Estonia, Poland, and Romania.
While Russia has denied some of these incursions or claimed they were accidental, the incidents have heightened tensions. Asked whether the U.S. would support NATO allies if they took military action in such cases, Trump said it “depends on the circumstance” but praised the alliance for boosting defense spending, pointing to a recent pledge by member nations to increase military budgets to 5% of GDP by 2035.
During his UN speech, Trump also criticized NATO members for continuing to buy Russian energy, saying they were “funding a war against themselves.”
This week’s post marks a stark contrast to Trump’s earlier assessments. As recently as February, he told Zelensky in a tense Oval Office meeting that Ukraine was in a weak position and unlikely to win a drawn-out conflict. In August, ahead of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Trump suggested Ukraine might have to accept territorial losses in Donetsk and Luhansk to secure a ceasefire—reportedly based on a proposal from Putin himself.
Trump has also frequently threatened Russia with harsher measures but has rarely followed through when the Kremlin ignored his deadlines and warnings.
Trump’s foreign policy has long been characterized by unpredictability, and this latest pivot may be an attempt to restart stalled peace talks. His post ended with a notable promise: the U.S. would continue to sell arms to NATO, which could then supply them to Ukraine—a shift toward more direct support than Trump had offered in recent months.
Though less comprehensive than the Biden administration’s aid commitments, Trump’s latest comments suggest a more assertive stance on Ukraine than he had previously taken.
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