Russia on Wednesday asserted its economic stability and reported military advances in Ukraine, dismissing U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks encouraging Kyiv to exploit Russian weaknesses and reclaim all occupied territory.
In a sudden and striking rhetorical shift, Trump said on Tuesday that he believed Ukraine could retake all the land seized by Russia, which currently controls about a fifth of the country.
“Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov attributed Trump’s comments to the fact that he had just met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“Of course, President Trump heard Zelenskyy’s version of events. And apparently, at this point, this version is the reason for the assessment we heard,” Peskov said in an interview with RBC radio.
Russia ‘Making Gains’ In Ukraine
Peskov said the Russian army was making gains in Ukraine, where he said it was deliberately advancing with caution. Western military analysts attribute the lack of any recent Russian breakthrough to a determined and resourceful Ukrainian defence, with both sides worn down by more than three-and-a-half years of war.
“This, of course, is more a question for our military, but overall – and the president has repeatedly stated this – we are moving forward very carefully to minimise losses… (and) so as not to undermine our offensive potential. These are very deliberate actions,” Peskov said.
“The dynamics, I repeat, show that for those who are unwilling to negotiate now, the position will be much worse tomorrow and the day after.”
Peskov brushed off a comment by Trump describing Russia as a “paper tiger”, saying that Russia was a bear, not a tiger, and there was no such thing as a paper bear.
“Russia maintains its resilience. Russia maintains macroeconomic stability,” Peskov said.
“Yes, Russia is experiencing certain tensions and problem areas in various sectors of the economy, which are inevitably connected with the myriad economic restrictions, sanctions, and so on that we face, with the global economic turmoil. It’s not just sanctions.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
