Kiev, Ukraine (AP) – Ukrainians were cautious on Wednesday. Surprise Pivot President Donald Trump’s view on their prospects for breaking Russian invasion after saying he could win Three Years War Reviving the lands captured by Moscow.
Meanwhile, Russian officials said development on the battlefield showed that Ukraine could not regain occupied territory and would dismiss Trump’s Russian account as “paper tiger.”
“Russia is more related to bears, not tigers,” said Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman. “There are no paper bears. Russia is a real bear.”
Careful Ukrainians want solid support from the US
Some Ukrainians hoped Trump’s words would be supported by Washington’s concrete support for Ukraine, while others were wary of the unpredictability of the US president.
“We need such support from America, Donald Trump. We hope this will continue in the future — the same rhetoric as us towards Ukraine, the same attitude towards us, and the war in Ukraine,” said 66-year-old Kiev resident Orha Volonina.
Voldim Acheslavsky, a 48-year-old soldier who recovered from wounded war, said he thought Trump was more interested in making money than helping Ukraine, continuing to speculate on people about his true intentions in a contradictory statement.
“He can say a variety of things each time. He is either supporting Ukraine or not supporting Ukraine,” Cheslavsky told the Associated Press in St. Michael’s Square in the Ukrainian capital.
Anna Kudimova, 43, said she believes her country’s troops could win on the battlefield against the larger Russian troops.
“But without European support, we cannot do that without the help of NATO,” she said. “If Trump is going to affect the situation, this could probably be realistic.”
Since annexing Crimea in 2014, Russia has occupied about 20% of Ukraine. The full invasion began in February 2022.
Joint weapon production in the eyes of the US and Ukraine
In comments on the UN and social media on Tuesday, Trump swiped over the leadership of Russian President Vladimir Putin, making careful remarks about Russia’s military power, and deciding on the performance of the Russian economy. He also said NATO countries should shoot down Russian fighter jets entering the airspace. Recently happened in Estonia.
Trump’s comments were an unexpected departure from his previous position on war when he was openly cool, sometimes hostile, towards Ukraine. Suitable for Putin.
After taking office in January, Trump overturned a three-year US policy of isolating Russia when he called Putin. He also ruled out the possibility that Ukraine would join NATO, and Ukrainian President Voldodymyr Zelenskyy said the land would need to be negotiated in exchange for a peace agreement with Moscow.
A senior Ukrainian lawmaker said Trump’s latest statement was unexpected but important.
“What’s important to us is not just Trump’s words, but also whether he’s fulfilling his previous commitments on decisive sanctions,” Oleksandr Melecko, chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Policy and International Cooperation, told the Associated Press.
The US and Ukraine signed a deal granting Washington earlier this year Access to important national minerals Other natural resources. Ukrainian Ambassador Olha Stefanishna said on Wednesday that another agreement is underway and is scheduled for Washington next week for discussions on joint arms production.
Potential deals focus on drone manufacturing Ukraine is on the cutting edge Of the new combat testing technology that was discussed “in great detail” between Trump and Zelensky on Tuesday, she said.
The Kremlin says it protects Russia’s safety
Zelensky and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov were scheduled to attend the UN General Assembly later on Wednesday.
Trump said on social media on Tuesday: “European time, patience, especially the original border where this war began, is a very choice.”
Max Bergman, director of the European, Russian and Eurasian programs at the think tanks of the European, Russian and Eurasian Studies Centers, said when he read Trump’s post, he was traveling to Europe saying “The US is out.”
“I feel like I’m a sign-off like the president. “We’re going to keep doing some things, but this is basically your problem,” Bergman said on the sidelines of a defense conference in Tallinn, Estonia.
Television channels in the Russian state are throwing Trump’s comments as part of an effort to turn the burden of dealing with conflict into Europe and encourage more American arms to be purchased.
Kremlin spokesman Peskov challenged Trump’s comment that “Russia is fighting aimlessly.”
Moscow has “fighted to ensure our security and our interests and to remove the root cause of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which is linked to the refusal by the previous US administration and Europeans to take into account our concerns,” Peskov said Wednesday.
He also rebutted Trump’s explanation of Russia’s economic misery, claiming that despite some issues the Russian economy remains strong.
Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president who served as deputy director of the Security Council, chaired by Putin, scrutinized Trump’s comments as “alternative reality.” He predicted that Trump could soon change his mind again.
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Associated Press author Hanna Al Hylova, Ukraine, Tallinn, and Harriet Morris of Harriet Morris, contributed to this report.
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