Trump says he's doubtful Ukraine can win the war with Russia as he
prepares for Putin meeting
[October 21, 2025]
By SAMYA KULLAB and AAMER MADHANI
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday that while he
thinks it is possible that Ukraine can defeat Russia, he's now doubtful
it will happen.
The comments from Trump added a fresh layer of skepticism toward Kyiv as
he plans to meet again in the coming weeks with Russian President
Vladimir Putin for face-to-face talks in Budapest, Hungary, on ending
the war.
“They could still win it. I don’t think they will, but they could still
win it,” Trump told reporters on Monday at the start of a White House
meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Trump last month reversed his long-held position that Ukraine would have
to concede land and could win back all the territory it has lost to
Russia.
But after a lengthy call with Putin last week followed by a meeting with
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump made another reversal and
called on Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and end their brutal
war.
Asked on Monday about his whiplashing opinion on Kyiv's position, Trump
offered the dour assessment about Ukraine's chances. He added, “I never
said they would win it. I said they could. Anything can happen. You know
war is a very strange thing.”
Earlier Monday, Zelenskyy said that during the White House meeting Trump
informed him that Putin’s maximalist demand — that Ukraine cede the
entirety of its eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions — was unchanged.
Still, Zelenskyy described the meeting as “positive,” even though Trump
also rebuffed his request for long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles.
In public comments in the weeks leading up to his meeting with Zelenskyy,
Trump had appeared to warm to the possibility of sending the Tomahawks,
which would allow Ukrainian forces to strike deeper into Russian
territory.
But the U.S. leader's tone changed after his latest call with Putin and
he made clear that he was reluctant to send Ukraine the missile system,
at least for the time-being.
“In my opinion, he does not want an escalation with the Russians until
he meets with them,” Zelenskyy told reporters on Sunday. His comments
were embargoed until Monday morning.
Zelenskyy also expressed skepticism about Putin’s proposal to swap some
territory it holds in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions if Ukraine
surrenders Donetsk and Luhansk, saying the proposal was unclear. The
Donetsk and Luhansk regions make up the Donbas.
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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to reporters in
Lafayette Park across the street from the White House, following a
meeting with President Donald Trump, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in
Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Ukraine's leader said Trump ultimately supported a freeze along the
current front line.
“We share President Trump’s positive outlook if it leads to the end of
the war,” Zelenskyy said, citing “many rounds of discussion over more
than two hours with him and his team.”
Zelenskyy was diplomatic about his meeting with Trump despite reports
that he faced pressure to accept Putin’s demands. The meeting followed
the disastrous Oval Office spat on Feb. 28 when the Ukrainian president
was scolded on live television for not being grateful for U.S. support.
Zelenskyy said he hopes that Trump's meeting in the coming weeks with
Putin in Hungary — which does not support Ukraine — will pave the way
for a peace deal.
Zelenskyy said he has not been invited to attend but would consider it
if the format for talks were fair to Kyiv.
He also took a shot at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, saying he
does not believe that a prime minister “who blocks Ukraine everywhere
can do anything positive for Ukrainians or even provide a balanced
contribution.”
Zelenskyy said he thinks that all parties have “moved closer” to a
possible end to the war.
“That doesn’t mean it will definitely end, but President Trump has
achieved a lot in the Middle East, and riding that wave he wants to end
Russia’s war against Ukraine,” he added.
Ukraine is hoping to purchase 25 Patriot air defense systems from U.S.
firms using frozen Russian assets and assistance from partners, but
Zelenskyy said procuring them would require time because of long
production waits. He said he spoke to Trump about help procuring them
more quickly, potentially from European partners.
Zelenskyy said the United States is interested in bilateral gas projects
with Ukraine, including the construction of an LNG terminal in the
southern port city of Odesa. Other projects of interest include those
related to nuclear energy and oil.
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Madhani reported from Washington.
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