MOSCOW, Sept 24 — The Kremlin has flatly rejected what Donald Trump said was the rationale behind his rhetorical U-turn on the war in Ukraine, saying it appeared that the United States (US) President had been influenced by Ukraine's leader and was mistaken.
In an abrupt shift in Ukraine's favour on Tuesday after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Trump said that he believed that Kyiv could recapture all of its land taken by Russia — which controls around one-fifth of the country — and that it should act now, with Moscow facing economic problems.
The Trump flip-flop was seen by some Russian nationalists as a sign he was washing his hands of the war in Ukraine after his unsuccessful attempts to broker a quick peace deal, noting he had not promised any more US help to Kyiv but had rather placed the onus on Ukraine and the European Union.
The Kremlin, which says it is keen for better ties with Washington, countered that the Russian economy was stable, despite some problems caused by Western sanctions, and that Russian forces' slow but steady advance in Ukraine was part of a deliberate strategy, with Kyiv, not Moscow, on the back foot.
"As far as we understand, President Trump's statements were made after communicating with (Ukrainian President) Zelenskiy and, apparently, under the influence of a vision set out by Zelenskiy. This vision contrasts sharply with our understanding of the current state of affairs.
"The fact that Ukraine is being encouraged in every possible way to continue hostilities and the argument that Ukraine can win something back is, in our view, a mistaken argument... The dynamics on the front lines speak for themselves," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the press on Wednesday.
Though Russia has continued to grind forward in many areas, it has not made a major breakthrough in Ukraine for some time. Nationalist Russian senator Dmitry Rogozin said he believed that the front lines were at an impasse, as parity in equipment, training, and morale stalled momentum on both sides.
Russia rejects Trump's 'paper tiger' comment
Peskov said that Russia's macroeconomic situation was stable, though data released by the Russian economy ministry on Wednesday showed that the GDP growth forecast for this year had been cut to one per cent from 2.5 per cent.
The Finance Ministry proposed raising the value-added tax to fund military spending.
Trump's description of Russia as a "paper tiger" was rejected by the Kremlin. On the RBC radio station, Peskov said that Russia was more associated with a bear than a tiger and that paper bears did not exist.
Some Russian nationalists saw Trump's U-turn as bad news for Kyiv.
"Yes, Trump suddenly told the world about his love for Ukraine. But the main point... is that the US is washing its hands of the matter.
"The European Union will pay for everything," said ultra-nationalist tycoon and political influencer Konstantin Malofeyev.
Lavrov to set out Russia's view to Rubio
Peskov said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later on Wednesday and provide "real information" to Washington.
He noted that Russia's incremental advances in Ukraine were deliberate.
"We are going forward very carefully to minimise losses and so as not to destroy our offensive potential," Peskov said.
Western military analysts attribute the lack of any recent Russian breakthrough to resourceful Ukrainian defences and the nature of drone warfare, with both sides worn down by more than three and a half years of war.
Russia's Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said Trump had "slipped into an alternate reality" and predicted he would U-turn again.
"The main thing is to keep flipping his position 180 degrees on every possible issue," he said.
