Journalism of Courage
A day after US President Donald Trump called Russia a “paper tiger” over its struggles in Ukraine, the Kremlin has fired back, insisting it remains a “bear” of military power.
“Russia is by no means a tiger. Russia is traditionally seen as a bear. There is no such thing as paper bears. Russia is a real bear,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told RBC Radio. “There is nothing paper about it.”
Trump had written on social media on Tuesday, “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.” He added, “Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act.”
Dismissing Russia’s military might, Trump said it has taken Moscow more than three years to fight a war that any “real military power” could have won in less than a week. “This is not distinguishing Russia. In fact, it is very much making them look like a ‘paper tiger,’” he wrote on Truth Social.
Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the UN conference on Tuesday, and urged Kyiv to take advantage of Russia’s economic weakness. He encouraged Ukraine to reclaim all of its territory currently under Russian control, which amounts to about one-fifth of the country.
The Kremlin flatly rejected Trump’s assessment and the rationale behind his rhetorical shift on the Ukraine war. “As far as we understand, President Trump’s statements were made after communicating with (Ukrainian President) Zelenskyy and, apparently, under the influence of a vision set out by Zelenskyy. This vision contrasts sharply with our understanding of the current state of affairs,” Peskov told reporters.
He added, “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.”
“You cannot deal with European security at the expense of Russia’s security. Moreover, no matter what anyone says, even now Russia is an integral part of European security,” Peskov said.
While Russian forces have continued to advance in some areas, the country has not achieved a major breakthrough in Ukraine for some time. Nationalist Russian Senator Dmitry Rogozin noted that the front lines are largely at an impasse, with parity in equipment, training, and morale stalling momentum on both sides.
Some Russian nationalists viewed Trump’s U-turn as a setback for Kyiv. “Yes, Trump suddenly told the world about his love for Ukraine,” said Konstantin Malofeyev, an ultra-nationalist tycoon and political influencer, Reuters reported. “But the main point… is that the US is washing its hands of the matter. The European Union will pay for everything.”
