Trump says he now believes Ukraine can win back all territory lost to Russia with NATO’s help
Trump says he now believes Ukraine can win back all territory lost to Russia with NATO’s help
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President Donald Trump said Tuesday NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft that violate their airspace. He also praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his nation’s war against Russia, saying it’s “putting up one hell of a fight.”
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday lamented the lack of decisive action by the U.N. Security Council over Russian aggression. Zelenskyy slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin and ally China in remarks.
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President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks while meeting with President Donald Trump meets during the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, the fire following a Russian missile attack is seen in Tatarbunary, Odesa region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
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In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following a Russian missile attack in Tatarbunary, Odesa region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
By MATTHEW LEE, AAMER MADHANI and ILLIA NOVIKOVUpdated 8:44 PM MST, September 23, 2025Share
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he believed Ukraine could win back all territory lost to Russia, a dramatic shift from the U.S. leader’s repeated calls for Kyiv to make concessions to end the war.
Trump posted on social media soon after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly gathering of world leaders.
During a quick pull-aside meeting at the U.N. General Assembly, President Donald Trump emphasized his new position that Ukraine can win back all territory lost to Russia during a bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
“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, in particular, NATO, the original Borders from where this War started, is very much an option.”
The strengthened support from Trump, if it sticks, is a huge win for Zelenskyy, who has urged the American president to keep up the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his war. It was a departure from Trump’s previous suggestions that Ukraine would never be able to reclaim all the territory that Russia has occupied since seizing the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
That had disheartened Zelenskyy, Europeans and Ukrainians and called into question the U.S. commitment to U.N. principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. But now, Trump’s view of the battlefield coincides more with Ukraine’s, Zelenskyy said.
“Trump is a game changer by himself,” Zelenskyy told reporters after their meeting.
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