President Donald Trump‘s unexpected pivot on the Russia-Ukraine War seems to have created headaches for the Kremlin, which has been insisting both that the president is wrong and also still a partner in peace.
Following Trump’s dramatic declaration on Tuesday that he believes Ukraine is positioned to “fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form” and “maybe even go further” due to Russian war fatigue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has been forced to address the shift from all angles.
When asked if recent comments from U.S. officials indicate the Trump administration is no longer interested in ending the war, Peskov said, “It does not.”
“In fact, we see different rhetoric coming out of Washington. For now, we assume that Washington retains the political will, and President Trump retains the political will, to continue efforts toward a peaceful settlement in Ukraine,” he told reporters on Thursday. “We support these efforts, and Russia remains open to entering into peace talks.”
Peskov previously indicated his belief that Trump’s rhetoric — claims that the Russian economy and military were becoming exhausted by a grueling war it did not expect to take years — was inaccurate and solely influenced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s team.
“As far as we understand, President Trump’s statements were made after communicating with (Ukrainian President) Zelensky and, apparently, under the influence of a vision set out by Zelensky,” Peskov said on Wednesday. “This vision contrasts sharply with our understanding of the current state of affairs.”
In his social media post explaining his change of position on the conflict, Trump claimed that Russia is quickly becoming a “paper tiger.”
He asserted that 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” and that this weakness will have geopolitical consequences when “the people living in Moscow and […] all throughout Russia find out what is really going on with this War.”
“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. Why not?” the president mused.
It was a jarring reversal from a world leader who previously insisted that Ukraine didn’t “have the cards” and would have to accept that peace with the much mightier Russia would require the forfeiture of territory.
But the Kremlin seemed to take offense at the “paper tiger” comment in particular.
“Russia is hardly a tiger. It’s more often associated with a bear. And there’s no such thing as a paper bear,” Peskov said in a Wednesday interview with Russian outlet RBC Radio. “Russia is a real bear. Putin has described our bear many times, and in different tones. There’s nothing paper about it.”
The president’s about-face against Russia was buoyed by affirmations from his top officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“If the Russians refuse to negotiate in good faith, I think it’s going to be very, very bad for their country. That’s what the president made clear. It’s not a shift in position. It’s an acknowledgement of the reality on the ground,” Vance said on Wednesday.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Rubio “reiterated President Trump’s call for the killing to stop and the need for Moscow to take meaningful steps toward a durable resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war” during his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Some European officials have speculated to American news outlets that Trump’s shift is meant to wash his hands of the conflict, putting the onus of responsibility on Europe and NATO.
The arrangement laid out in Trump’s social media post indicates the United States would remain firmly outside the conflict, simply supplying weapons for purchase by NATO and Europe.
Zelensky, however, called the new posturing a “game-changer” during an interview with reporters at the United Nations General Assembly.
ZELENSKY SAYS HE ASKED TRUMP FOR POSSIBLE WAR-WINNING WEAPON TO TARGET THE KREMLIN
The Ukrainian leader indicated in an interview with Axios that he has requested that Trump provide his country with an unnamed long-range weapon that can strike directly at Moscow.
“[Kremlin officials] have to know where the bomb shelters are,” Zelensky said. “They need it. If they will not stop the war, they will need it in any case.”
Zelensky claimed Trump told him the White House would “work on it.”
The Ukrainian president gave his own speech at the meeting, declaring that “we are now living through the most destructive arms race in human history.”
“No one but ourselves can guarantee our security,” he told the gathered leaders and diplomats. “International law does not fully function without powerful friends ready to defend it. Even having friends won’t work without weapons. The only guarantee of security is friends and weapons.”
