President Trump Believes Ukraine Can Re-arrest Its Territory Occupied By Russia

President Zelensky met President Trump on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly. (Twitter/@WhiteHouse)

JAKARTA - United States President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he believed Ukraine could retake all of its occupied territory Russia and Kyiv must act now as Moscow faces "big" economic problems.

This is a sudden and striking rhetoric shift that benefits Ukraine. There is no sign that the statement will be balanced with a change in US policy, such as the decision to impose severe new sanctions on Moscow requested by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to New York this week.

"Putin and Russia are in big economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act," wrote President Trump at Truth Social, shortly after meeting President Zelensky on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

"After seeing the economic problems (war) experienced by Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and win the whole Ukraine back to its original shape," he continued.

President Trump's speech tone is in stark contrast to his remarks on the red carpet for Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Alaska last month, as part of an apparent effort to accelerate the end of Russia's war in Ukraine.

This seems to require Kyiv to expel Russian troops from 20 percent of its territory, including the Crimean peninsula that Moscow has controlled since 2014, in an extraordinary reversal.

In fact, President Trump previously advised Kyiv to consider giving up his territory to achieve peace, sparking fears that Ukraine will have behind-the-scenes negotiations for an agreement that will seek to recognize its occupied territory as a legitimate territory of Russia.

President Zelensky himself told reporters he had a "good and constructive" meeting with President Trump, refusing to explain in detail, while praising President Trump's statement on Truth Social as "a major change."

President Zelensky later told Fox News he felt the position of the Ukrainian and US teams was "closer than ever before," and he felt President Trump's position had changed.

He added that he and President Trump discussed Russia's stalled economy, a guarantee of security for Ukraine when the war ended. He said President Trump had the power to prove "game changers" for Ukraine in the war.

Separately, the Head of European Foreign Policy Kaja Kallas, praised Trump's statement, saying: "This is a very strong statement we have never heard before in this format, so it's really good that we have the same understanding now."