The Kremlin said it was wrong to think Ukraine could recapture land occupied by the Russian army.

The statement came a day after US President Donald Trump said that Kyiv could push Russian forces completely out of the country.

"The idea that Ukraine can recapture something is, from our point of view, mistaken," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

On Tuesday, Trump also said that Russia's economy was in trouble and that Moscow's forces had been "fighting aimlessly for three and a half years."

However, Peskov said the war was not aimless and claimed that it arose from the United States' and the European Union's unwillingness to address Russia's security concerns.

https://www.dw.com/

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

Who’s the ‘paper tiger’ now? The EU will crack under the burden of Ukraine

Trump’s claim that Russia is weak and Kiev can win is not just words – but it doesn’t bode well for Kiev or the EU

By Nadezhda Romanenko

US President Donald Trump has called Russia a “paper tiger,” supposedly “in BIG economic trouble” – so big, he believes, that Kiev “is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form.”

There’s one key caveat, though – according to Trump, that victory is possible “with the support of the European Union.” Support from the US is not included in the pep talk.

This means that Trump is, for the moment, distancing himself from directly trying to end the war, at least in the short term. This also means that, unlike during the Biden years, when Washington was all but writing Zelensky a blank check, as well as supporting Kiev with intelligence and training, Trump appears to be drawing a line: responsibility should fall primarily on the EU and NATO.

The question is, do they actually have the resources, political unity, and stamina to propel Kiev to this supposed victory? EU economies are groaning under the strain of inflation and energy costs – self-inflicted wounds resulting in a large part from the cut-off of cheap Russian energy. Domestic political divisions are boiling up both between and within EU member states – again, the result of populations upset by their governments throwing cash into a bottomless pit with a “for Ukraine” sign next to it.

This is where the “paper tiger” label begins to cut both ways, if not entirely backfire.

Calling Russia a “paper tiger” is, above all, a psychological tactic. For decades, critics of Moscow have used similar language to argue that Russia’s military power is overstated, its economy brittle, and its system fragile. Trump is not the first to say this, and he will not be the last. But such claims have been proven wrong as often as they have been vindicated – and since the beginning of Russia’s military operation and the ensuing sanctions, they have been proven nothing but wrong.

The Russian economy, despite sanctions, has not collapsed. Predictions of its imminent demise have been made repeatedly since 2022, only to be walked back as Moscow adapted, re-routed trade, and leveraged its vast natural resources. That does not mean Russia is just shrugging off the West’s pressure: severe challenges and serious problems do arise and they are being openly discussed and overcome. Yet, the collapse thesis has become increasingly difficult to sustain after years of “imminent collapse” forecasts that never materialized.

This illustrates that narratives of inevitable collapse often serve political purposes more than analytical clarity. Trump’s framing fits neatly into this tradition: the “paper tiger” line does not come from sound economic analysis. It’s simply an attempt to undermine Russia’s psychological standing.

For Ukraine, Trump’s affirmation that it can defeat Russia may have been meant as a morale boost. Except it probably doesn’t sound all that encouraging when Kiev realizes it will have to rely on its own nonexistent economy and the backing of European regimes that are struggling both politically and economically – struggles that come from blind support for Kiev to begin with.

As EU leaders continue to try to drum up support with tired calls for “unity for Ukraine,” they keep bleeding voters. Defense spending is rising, but weapons and resources are being funneled to Kiev. In several countries, support for the centrist establishment is in the gutter, and parties that promise to refocus on domestic problems are rapidly gaining popularity.

If the burden of carrying Kiev falls entirely to EU nations, this will not only accelerate Ukraine’s own defeat, but also the demise of many of the EU’s own struggling governments.

In this sense, Trump’s statement might be read not as a promise but as a test: can the EU demonstrate that it is not itself a “paper tiger”? Trump would love to go down in history as a great peace-maker, but what he wants even more – what he promised the voters who followed his “America First” banner – is to end Washington’s entanglement in losing battles.

The most likely short-term outcome is continued stalemate. Forced to rely only on the Europeans, Ukraine will struggle to hold on the battlefield, let alone mount offensives. Russia will continue to endure costs and press forward. Ultimately, Kiev will keep losing territory and degrading its own position at the negotiating table for when peace talks finally happen.

https://www.rt.com/news/625204-trump-russia-ukraine-paper-tiger/

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSPDBWDeYkY

U.S. officials framed Russia as vulnerable and suggested Trump could impose more economic costs if needed, but analysts argued this misunderstands Russia’s position. For Moscow, NATO expansion and a non-neutral Ukraine are existential threats, so they won’t accept “generous offers” that ignore those red lines. Russian officials, including Peskov, reiterated their long-standing stance that the war is about securing Russia’s interests and European security, dismissing sanctions as ineffective.

Meanwhile, Trump and his allies publicly claim Russia is weak and emphasize that U.S. taxpayers are now “benefiting” because NATO and Europe are paying for weapons funneled to Ukraine. Critics note this is really Trump passing responsibility to Europe, protecting himself from blame if Ukraine loses, and profiting politically and economically while avoiding sanctions. Analysts warn that portraying Russia as a “paper tiger” ignores battlefield realities, where Ukraine remains at a severe disadvantage.

READ FROM TOP.

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

US President Donald Trump’s sudden shift in tone on the Ukraine conflict – asserting this week that Kiev can achieve its territorial goals against Russia – is an attempt to push Moscow toward negotiations, the New York Post reported on Wednesday, citing White House sources.

For months, Trump and his administration had argued that Ukraine would need to relinquish some of its territorial claims to secure a US-brokered peace deal. However, his week he reversed course, dismissing Russia as a “paper tiger” that Kiev can defeat and claiming his view is based on “getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia military and economic situation.”

The Post described the comments as a “dramatic pronouncement,” reportedly prompted by “new US intelligence that shows the Kremlin is spiraling toward economic ruin and battlefield defeat.” The newspaper said Trump’s assessment of Ukraine’s ability to retake territory was intended as a “strategic move” to draw Russia to the negotiating table. It provided no details on the intelligence behind the claim.

Unlike his predecessor, Joe Biden, Trump has resisted sending large amounts of direct US military aid to Ukraine and has instead urged European NATO members to buy American weapons for Kiev’s forces.

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky interpreted Trump’s statement as a commitment that “America will be with us to the end of the war.” Opposition MP Aleksey Goncharenko, however, argued Zelensky was misreading the message and warned it could prompt a costly new offensive. Trump, he said, was effectively telling Ukraine and the EU: “You deal with it. I hope you can do it. Good luck!”

Trump has long had a contentious relationship with the US intelligence community, at times disregarding its assessments when they conflicted with his policies. In June, he brushed aside testimony from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon, after using the opposite claim to justify support for US and Israeli strikes on Iranian facilities.

Responding to Trump’s comments this week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia has traditionally been seen as a bear rather than a tiger, and that there is “no such thing as a paper bear.”

https://www.rt.com/news/625242-trump-ukraine-strategic-move/

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.