“I won’t call anyone a paper tiger anymore, but Russia has spent millions and millions of dollars on bombs, missiles, and ammunition, and so many lives have been lost. Yet they’ve barely gained any new territory,” Trump said on September 25 during a White House meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Just two days earlier, Trump had written on Truth Social that Russia was no longer a formidable nuclear power, but a “paper tiger” fighting “without purpose” in Ukraine for over three years.
The U.S. president has recently shifted his stance on the war, suggesting Kyiv could reclaim all its territory while pointing to Russia’s mounting economic troubles. “I’ve ended seven wars. At first, I thought the Russia–Ukraine conflict would be the easiest to resolve, but President Vladimir Putin has greatly disappointed me,” Trump said.
Trump also urged Turkey to stop buying Russian oil and gas, offering to resume sales of F-35 stealth fighters and resolve a six-year dispute. Washington suspended Ankara from the F-35 program in 2019 after its purchase of Russia’s S-400 air defense system.
Russia’s Defense Ministry rejected Trump’s assessment, claiming its forces had seized 4,700 square kilometers and 205 settlements this year, particularly in Donetsk. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the “paper tiger” label, insisting battlefield results showed Russia’s strength, though he admitted the economy faced major challenges, with growth projected to slow to 2.5% in 2025 from over 4% in previous years.
White House officials told the New York Post that Trump’s remarks are part of a broader strategy to push Moscow back to the negotiating table. Since taking office in January, Trump has sought direct dialogue with Russia, including a summit with Putin in Alaska in August, but no breakthrough has been achieved.