'WIN all of Ukraine back!': Another Trump U-turn after 'Alaska meet' with Putin, bats for shooting down Russian jets

US President Donald Trump has performed another sharp turn on the war in Ukraine, declaring on Tuesday that Kyiv could retake all its territory lost to Russia. The statement comes weeks after his Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where Trump had floated “land swaps” as part of a possible peace deal.

“I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form,” Trump wrote on social media after meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

“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.”

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The shift marks a significant departure from Trump’s earlier claims that Ukraine would never reclaim all occupied territory. Zelenskyy welcomed the change, telling reporters: “Trump is a game changer by himself.”

Also Read: UNGA 2025: Trump accuses India, China of being main funders of Russia-Ukraine war

Push against Russia

Trump, who has long boasted that he could end the war “quickly,” sharpened his criticism of Moscow in both his UN speech and social media posts.

“Russia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years a War that should have taken a Real Military Power less than a week to win,” he wrote. “This is not distinguishing Russia. In fact, it is very much making them look like ‘a paper tiger.’”

In his General Assembly remarks, Trump added: “It shows you what leadership is, what bad leadership can do to a country. The only question now is how many lives will be needlessly lost on both sides.”

Sanctions and energy

Trump signalled he was ready to escalate economic pressure on Moscow. “In the event that Russia is not ready to make a deal to end the war, then the United States is fully prepared to impose a very strong round of powerful tariffs, which would stop the bloodshed, I believe, very quickly,” he told world leaders.

He also pressed Europe to “step it up” and stop buying Russian oil. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed the bloc would roll out fresh sanctions and further cut Russian energy imports.

NATO airspace violations

Amid growing tensions, NATO will hold consultations at Estonia’s request after the Baltic nation said three Russian fighter jets violated its airspace last week. Trump told reporters he would support allies who choose to shoot down intruding Russian aircraft, though he added U.S. involvement would “depend on the circumstances.”

War toll mounts

On the ground, Russia claimed to have downed three dozen Ukrainian drones heading towards Moscow, while Ukrainian officials reported fresh Russian strikes that killed at least two civilians.

The UN Human Rights Office said civilian casualties in Ukraine were up 40 per cent in the first eight months of 2025 compared with last year, citing intensified Russian missile and drone attacks. A separate UN report accused Russian authorities of subjecting detained Ukrainian civilians to “torture and ill-treatment, including sexual violence, in a widespread and systematic manner.”

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Trump’s new line, saying: “I welcome the fact that the president of the United States believes in Ukraine’s ability not only to hold the course but to prevail.”