Trump reverses on Ukraine war, says Ukraine could retake all territory with NATO backing

At the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Donald Trump declared that Ukraine could retake all territory it has lost to Russia, marking a dramatic reversal from earlier remarks on the war. He said Ukraine, with the backing of the European Union and NATO, is in a position to win back territory 'in its original form.' He described Russia as a 'paper tiger' whose ambitions may be undermined by a depleted force, and he asserted that a capable military power would have won the war in less than a week. He also pledged to provide NATO with additional weapons to help sustain Ukraine's defense.

Speaking alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at United Nations headquarters, Trump reiterated the comments and said Ukraine can fight too and should be allowed to regain its land. In a lengthy post on Truth Social after meetings at the UNGA, he wrote that with time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original borders from where this war started are very much an option. He also signaled that NATO nations should feel emboldened to shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter allied airspace, and said the United States might back up those allies if action is taken, depending on the circumstances. Trump told reporters that Ukraine can fight too and implied he wants to let them get their land back.

The shift comes amid a wave of Russian aerial activity in Europe that has unsettled NATO capitals. In the past week, three Russian MiG-31 jets briefly entered Estonia's airspace for about 12 minutes over the Gulf of Finland, drawing an intercepted response from NATO allies. Days later, a Russian IL-20M reconnaissance plane crossed into neutral Baltic Sea airspace, prompting interception by German and Swedish jets. On Sept. 22, Russian warplanes entered Romanian and Polish airspace during joint exercises, a sequence Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called a