U.S. President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, offering praise for Ukraine’s battlefield resilience while carefully calibrating his stance on NATO defense commitments.
Speaking alongside Zelensky, Trump highlighted Russia’s struggles in its prolonged war. “The Russian economy is terrible right now… it is crashing,” Trump said. He commended Ukraine’s military performance, noting: “Ukraine is doing a great job at stopping this frankly large army. It is pretty amazing… you have got to hand it to the Ukrainian soldiers and everybody involved.”
Trump contrasted early predictions of a rapid Russian victory with the reality of over three years of grinding conflict, adding: “Russia doesn’t look very distinguished. Taking three-and-a-half years of very hard fighting and it looks like it is not going to end for a long time.”
When pressed on a recent drone incursion in Denmark that temporarily shut down flights at Copenhagen airport, Trump said he would wait for details before commenting. Asked whether the U.S. would support NATO allies if they shot down Russian aircraft, he replied: “Depends on the circumstances. But we’re very strong towards NATO.”
The remarks underscored Trump’s dual message of solidarity with Ukraine while leaving strategic ambiguity on NATO’s red lines.
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