America’s approach to Russia has always depended on geopolitics, international pressure, and changing economies. However, the US has always dealt with Russia on the line of caution, and overall, the relationship between the two giant nations have always been very diplomatic, strained, but somehow stable.
Though nothing about the US-Russia relationship has been stable every time Trump has been in office. During his first term, he couldn’t stop gushing about President Putin and calling him one of his closest friends; his second term has been more political in terms of friendship between Washington and the Kremlin.
However, when it comes to the Russia-Ukraine war, Washington has changed its stance more than anyone had expected. While initially, Trump had been in favor of a peaceful resolution that involved talks between Russia and Ukraine, he then moved on to exert pressure on Ukraine in exchange for offering them arms support.
His latest stance is nothing short of a sharp pivot from American policy and could change the trajectory of the war.
As mentioned earlier, Trump’s initial aim was to play the peacemaker between warring nations, probably in hopes of gaining points for the Nobel Peace Prize. In a desperate effort for the war to be over, he had also hinted that Ukraine may be required to give up some of its territory occupied by Russia. He based it on the 2014 annexation of Crimea and its subsequent advance in Donbas.
“Ukraine must be prepared to lose territory to russia. Otherwise, the longer the war lasts, the more land it will lose,” Trump reposted this post to himself.
Trump is now betraying Ukraine and soon Europe. pic.twitter.com/eo1hNrVmD8
— Jürgen Nauditt 🇩🇪🇺🇦 (@jurgen_nauditt) August 17, 2025
However, Ukrainian President Zelensky made it very clear that this option was not on the table, yet one can not deny, this offer had made Ukraine and other European nations very uneasy.
Trump’s offer and suggestion were in direct disregard of Western nations’ commitment to territorial integrity.
If it is safe to assume that several smaller European nations feared attacks, this was the compromise since it would have made Russia embolden and would set a dangerous precedent.
But now, Trump’s position has shifted again, and it is yet again very dramatic. Trump spoke with Zelensky during the United Nations General Assembly during a high-profile meeting. After which he took to his social media and wrote that he now believes Ukraine can win all its land back, of course, with the support from Europe and NATO.
Trump: 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….
Ukraine would be able to take back their Country in its original form and, who knows, maybe even go further than that! pic.twitter.com/8eUCfuiYFr
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 23, 2025
This statement was not just a symbolic gesture. It now signals that Trump has somehow lost his camaraderie with Putin, and his vision for ending the war now aligns with that of Zelensky.
President Zelensky welcomed this statement as a morale boost. He praised the president and framed him as a potential “game changer” if his administration agrees with his views and follows through with stronger action.
These changes in Trump’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war are apparently due to his frustration with Moscow’s unwillingness to negotiate seriously.
A few weeks back, when Trump met with Putin in Alaska, it was expected that he would somehow persuade Putin to sit down with Zelensky and have clear communication.
Trump’s Alaska summit with Putin was exactly one month ago and since then Putin has:
– refused to meet with Zelensky
– destroyed an American factory in Ukraine
– bombed the EU Delegation building in Kyiv
– attacked Ukraine’s cabinet of ministers building
– launched drones into… pic.twitter.com/Zwh1MNZYZf— Jake Broe (@RealJakeBroe) September 16, 2025
Though Trump described the talks as productive, Moscow rejected the proposed plans as it escalated its bombardment of Ukrainian cities. Russia reiterated its demand to keep control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
These actions appeared to have caused Trump to harden his stance against Russia. At the U.N., he criticized Russian leadership and said that the war, now in its fourth year, has made Russia “look like a paper tiger.” He also highlighted the failures of Putin’s military strategy.
Trump’s changing position is a rare moment where his personal diplomacy converged with global politics. Trump might now be spreading red carpet for Putin anytime soon now.
