Rubio meets with Russia’s Lavrov after Trump’s shift on Russia and Ukraine

(NEW YORK) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met on Wednesday, one day after President Donald Trump called Moscow a “paper tiger” and said Ukraine could win back its seized land.

Rubio and Lavrov sat with their delegations on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz was also present for the meeting.

For months, Trump had said Kyiv would likely need to cede territory to Russia to end the war. But Trump abruptly reversed after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday.

“After getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia Military and Economic situation and, after seeing the Economic trouble it is causing Russia, 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,” Trump wrote. “With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original Borders from where this War started, is very much an option. Why not?”

Russia, he suggested, was a “paper tiger” as he criticized its military.

It wasn’t clear what made Trump change his tune. Zelenskyy said he believed Trump was aware of “more details” and that U.S. intelligence is now more aligned with that of Ukraine’s view. It also remains to be seen whether Trump’s shift in rhetoric will come with any change in policy.

Russia pushed back quickly that it was a “bear” not a “paper tiger,” and that Trump was mistaken.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Trump “heard Zelenskyy’s version of events. Apparently, this version was the reason for the assessment we heard. We cannot agree with everything here.”

“We will have the opportunity to convey our assessment of recent events to the American side. In particular, [Russian Foreign Minister Sergei] Lavrov will have a meeting,” Peskov added.

Rubio, at a U.N. Security Council meeting on Ukraine on Tuesday, warned there would “come a moment in which we will have to conclude that perhaps there is no interest in a peaceful resolution” from Rusia and that Trump’s “patience is not infinite.”

Zelenskyy addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, in which he warned members that Putin wants to expand his war and spoke about what he said was a breakdown of international order.

“International law doesn’t work fully unless you have powerful friends who are truly willing to stand up for it,” Zelenskyy said. “And even that doesn’t work without weapons. It’s terrible but without it, things will be even worse. There are no security guarantees except friends and weapons.”

“If it takes pressure on Russia, it must be done and it must be done now otherwise Putin will keep driving the war forward, wider and deeper,” Zelenskyy added. “We told you before, Ukraine is only the first and now Russian drones are already flying across Europe, and Russian operations are already spreading across countries … No one can feel safe right now.”  

Trump on Tuesday said NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter their airspace.