Trump’s Shift in Tone on Ukraine Is ‘Really Welcome,’ Says EU’s Kallas

European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas said the European Union welcomes President Donald Trump’s comments in a social media post Tuesday expressing Ukraine could reclaim its territory taken by Russia since its invasion. Kallas also discussed the bloc’s commitment to investing in defense and the need for partners to be in “lockstep” with the EU on sanctions against Russia. She spoke with Bloomberg’s Annmarie Hordern on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

President Donald Trump said NATO nations should shoot down Russian aircraft that violated their airspace and struck a more sympathetic tone on Ukraine’s chances of winning the war.

He spoke as he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy following recent jet incursions that have alarmed allies.

“Yes, I do,” Trump said when asked directly by a reporter if NATO allies should take down Russian aircraft during his meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

In a subsequent social media post, Trump said he believed that Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, was positioned not only to fight back but to reclaim all the territory taken by Russia since its invasion in 2022 — and perhaps more.

“Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act. In any event, I wish both Countries well. We will continue to supply weapons to NATO for NATO to do what they want with them. Good luck to all!” Trump said.

The exchange embodied Trump’s recent policy of voicing support for Ukraine, even as he continues to emphasize that he wants Europe to take a greater role in efforts to pressure Russia. That’s left allies, who have political and economic barriers to imposing additional tariffs and sanctions on Moscow and its partners, unsure of the extent to which the US is dedicated to assisting Kyiv and punishing the Kremlin.

On Tuesday, Trump declined to say whether the US would support NATO if it engaged Russian planes over its airspace, saying it “depends on the circumstance” but that “we’re very strong toward NATO.”

But in his social media post, he criticized Russia for “fighting aimlessly for three and a half years a War that should have taken a Real Military Power less than a week to win,” adding it made the country look like “a paper tiger.”

“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 said. Zelenskiy said the post was a big shift and described it as positive.

The Kremlin pushed back on Trump’s characterization of the country as a paper tiger. “Russia is more associated with a bear. There are no ‘paper bears,’” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RBC Radio in an interview. “Russia maintains its resilience and stability.” He also said Putin “continues to highly value Trump’s willingness to help” find a resolution to the war.

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