President Trump is making a sharp turn on Ukraine. After his meeting with President Zelenskyy at the United Nations, Trump says he now believes Ukraine can win back all the territory it lost to Russia.
The president posted on Truth Social that "Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form."
It's a dramatic shift from earlier calls for Kyiv to make concessions.
Steven Moore is with the Kyiv-based Ukraine Freedom Project.
"President Trump is recognizing that Ukraine can win, which is something that, you know, if you've been in Ukraine, like you and I have, you understand that. Everybody thought that Russia was going to roll through Ukraine in 3 weeks in 2022, and they didn't," Moore told CBN News from his office in Kyiv.
Trump has moved from publicly scolding Zelenskyy to praising him.
"The President, who we all know very well. He's a brave man, and he's putting up one hell of a fight," Trump said.
He has also sharpened criticism of Vladimir Putin, saying the Russian leader has "let him down" and mocking the Russian military as a "paper tiger."
"I think you are seeing the president's frustration and disappointment frankly with Putin," Mike Waltz, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., told FOX News. "He has made innumerable calls; we had the summits in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Alaska. Obviously, look, at the end of the day, Putin has to end this war; the president has made it very clear his intent."
The comments come as Russian drones and fighter jets repeatedly violate NATO airspace.
"Do you think NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter their airspace?" a reporter asked President Trump. "Yes, I do," he responded.
"Between the violations of the Romanian airspace, Polish airspace, and now Estonian airspace, I think, Putin, the Russians, should take the message from the president, he's not messing around," warned Waltz.
While meeting with Turkey's President Recep Erdogan on Thursday, Trump again called on Putin to end the fighting, and urged European nations, including Turkey, to stop fueling the war by buying Russian oil.
"I'd like to have him stop buying any oil from Russia while Russia continues this rampage against Ukraine," Trump said in the Oval Office. "But it's such a waste of human life. And so we ought to stop. Putin ought to stop."
Meanwhile, at the U.N., President Zelenskyy warned world leaders of what's at stake.
"If there are no real security guarantees except friends and weapons, and if the world can't respond even to all threats, and if there is no strong platform for international security, will there be any place left on Earth that's still safe for people?" warned Zelenskyy.
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