Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Trump’s new stance on the war in Ukraine has not gone unnoticed in Russia.
Trump’s new stance on the war in Ukraine has not gone unnoticed in Russia.
What is happening?
In a major shift, U.S. President Donald Trump publicly backed Ukraine’s efforts to reclaim all Russian-occupied territory.
Speaking after meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sept. 23, Trump declared:
“Ukraine, with the support of the EU, is in a position to fight and win all of Ukraine back.”
Labels Russia a “paper tiger”
Trump went further, calling Russia’s prolonged war effort ineffective and symbolic of weakness.
“Russia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years. This does not distinguish Russia; in fact, it very much makes them look like ‘a paper tiger,'” he said.
The remark was instantly picked up by global media and provoked intense backlash from Moscow.
A sudden reversal from the Alaska Summit
Just a month earlier, Trump had hosted Putin in Alaska and hinted at a peace deal based on current front lines.
At the time, he positioned himself as a potential mediator, aiming to bring both sides to the table.
His latest comments appear to abandon that approach entirely.
Moscow quickly dismisses “paper tiger” insult
The Kremlin moved fast to downplay Trump’s remarks
Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the insult and said Trump’s new stance was likely driven by recent meetings rather than conviction
“His position changed after his talks with Zelensky and was driven by business interests,” Peskov said.
“Russia is a bear, not a tiger,” Peskov says
Peskov also responded with a nationalist twist, rejecting the “paper tiger” comparison.
“Russia is by no means a tiger… Russia is more commonly associated with a bear. There is no such thing as a ‘paper bear,'” he stated.
The comment reflects Russia’s self-image as strong, enduring, and unyielding.
Medvedev: Trump’s living in Fantasy Land
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, known for provocative outbursts, ridiculed Trump’s new stance.
“After meeting with the clowns from Kyiv and Paris, he published a vivid post,” Medvedev wrote.
Medvedev predicts Trump will call for Ukraine’s surrender
Medvedev didn’t stop there. He claimed Trump would soon return to reality and even suggest Ukraine capitulate
“He always returns,” Medvedev said.
He imagined a scenario in which Trump would “call on Ukraine to sign a surrender agreement.”
Russian MP: Trump echoes the last person he speaks to
Russian lawmaker Oleg Matveychev gave a blunt assessment of Trump’s rhetoric.
“It’s a random number generator, a random phrase generator,” he said.
Matveychev accused Trump of lacking consistency:
“There’s been a saying that Trump says exactly what the last person in his office told him to say.”
Slutsky slams Trump’s “contradictory” views
Leonid Slutsky, head of the Russian Parliament’s International Affairs Committee, accused Trump of flip-flopping.
“Trump made a series of contradictory statements about Russia’s lack of economic development and the alleged futility of the war,” he said.
He warned such misunderstandings were “extremely dangerous.”
Kremlin TV host attacks Trump and EU
Russian state TV host Vladimir Solovyov used his platform to lash out at Trump, Zelensky, and the EU.
He claimed European leaders had deceived the U.S. president and hurled homophobic slurs at EU officials.
“There is the position of the Russian state… and then there are these hysterical reactions directed against Donald Trump,” he said.
Why the backlash matters
The intensity of Moscow’s reaction reveals deep sensitivity to Trump’s shift.
Russian officials rarely go off-script in public due to tight political control.
The sharp tone suggests the Kremlin fears Trump’s comments could sway global opinion or influence future diplomacy.
Peace talks collapse as Russia holds firm
Trump’s earlier push to broker peace has failed to gain traction.
Putin invited Zelensky to Moscow, but Kyiv called the idea “impossible” amid ongoing missile strikes.
Zelensky insists on neutral ground for talks, a condition Russia continues to reject while maintaining its maximalist demands.
This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, which may have used AI in the preparation
