In what came as a surprise to many, Trump has altogether shifted his stance regrading Ukrainian territory that has been captured by Russia since the start of the war in February 2022.
The statement propped up on Truth Social, after Trump made his very controversial speech at the UN General Assembly, and also met Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on the sidelines – a meeting that lasted for about an hour.
However, Trump’s social post was as surprising for Zelenskyy as it was for the rest of the world. Earlier, he has maintained that an end to war will happen only with both Russia and Ukraine giving away territory.
He has quite strongly pushed for land swaps in previous months, after the mid-August Alaska Summit with Putin, and later the White House meetings with Zelenskyy and European leaders.
Even when he was trying to arrange direct talks between Putin and the Ukrainian President, Trump made his bet on land swaps.
“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,” he wrote in the post on Tuesday, with no mention of what part the United States will play.
Read More: Ukraine to Receive HIMARS, Patriot Missiles in the First US Weapon Supply: Zelenskyy
“Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act,” he also wrote in the same post, calling Russia a “paper tiger.”
Trump, who is known for inconsistent and quickly changing stances, also expressed frustration over Putin for not ending the war, some time ago. This was also followed by meetings with the EU sanctions envoy.
In the ongoing month, both Europe and the US did discuss sanction options – something Ukraine has strongly advocated for, but no conclusive measures have yet been announced so far.
However, after Russia’s alleged drone that was shot down by Poland over its territory, NATO members are more alert and prepared. But all of this is not happening without US involvement.
Ukraine is due to receive HIMARS rocket launchers and missiles for the Patriot air defense system in the first batch of weapons sent by the United States – an announcement that surfaced last week.
Established in December 2008, The Diplomatic Insight is Pakistan’s premier diplomacy and foreign affairs magazine, available in both digital and print formats.
