NEW YORK — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Ukraine can win back all territory lost to Russia, a dramatic shift from the U.S. leader’s call on Kyiv to make concessions.
Trump offered his position in a social media posting soon after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Trump in part 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. With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original Borders from where this War started, is very much an option.”
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In his speech to the General Assembly earlier Tuesday, Trump said the war in Ukraine was making Russia “look bad” because it was “supposed to be a quick little skirmish.”
“It shows you what leadership is, what bad leadership can do to a country,” he said. “The only question now is how many lives will be needlessly lost on both sides.”
With his troops under strain on the front line after more than three years of fighting Russia’s bigger invading army, Zelenskyy was meeting world leaders in New York and was due to speak at a special U.N. Security Council session on Ukraine.
Related story: Russia and Ukraine fire drones, missiles and bombs as Zelenskyy seeks help at UN
Peace efforts set in motion by Trump since he returned to office in January appear to have stalled. Trump’s Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and a White House meeting with Zelenskyy and key European leaders took place more than a month ago, but the war has continued unabated.
Following those meetings, Trump announced that he was arranging for direct talks between Putin and Zelenskyy. But Putin hasn’t shown any interest in meeting with Zelenskyy and Moscow has only intensified its bombardment of Ukraine.
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