2:43Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Aug 20, 2025 and Ukraine’s head Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on the same day.EPA/Shutterstock/AFP via Getty Images
Facing Russian pushback on his mediation efforts, President Donald Trump on Thursday hinted that Kyiv should switch to an offensive stance.
Sharing a message on his Truth Social network, Trump assailed ex-President Joe Biden’s war strategy, alleging Biden “wouldn’t permit Ukraine to FIGHT BACK, only to DEFEND.”
“Trying to win a war without attacking an occupier’s homeland is extremely difficult, if not impossible. It’s like a championship-level squad with an airtight defense that’s barred from running its offense—no path to victory!” Trump wrote.
Last year Biden reversed a long-time restriction and allowed Kyiv to hit inside Russia with U.S.-supplied ATACMS long-range munitions; earlier, the administration had prohibited such strikes, restricting use of U.S. arms to territory seized by Moscow within Ukraine.
President Donald J. Trump addresses European leaders during a multilateral gathering in the White House East Room, Aug 18, 2025.Aaron Schwartz/EPA/Shutterstock
Trump had long fought plans to let Kyiv hit Russian soil and regularly rebuked Biden for granting approval; as commander-in-chief he has framed such actions as dangerously escalatory.
Yet the president has lately revisited the idea of deeper Ukrainian incursions into Russia, and the White House in July confirmed he asked Zelenskyy whether U.S.-provided arms could reach St Petersburg or Moscow. Officials stressed Trump was posing a question, not advocating more bloodshed.
It remains to be seen whether Trump’s Thursday post signals any forthcoming shift in Washington’s backing for Kyiv, though he closed with: “Interesting times ahead!!!”
The message landed as Moscow’s top diplomat, Sergey Lavrov, played down chances of an imminent summit between Putin and Zelenskyy. While the White House said this week Putin “pledged” to meet, the Kremlin has not corroborated the claim.
Lavrov said Thursday that any encounter would come only after every pillar of a peace accord has been hammered out.
“Our head of state has repeatedly confirmed readiness, including to meet Mr Zelenskyy, on condition that the agenda of issues requiring attention at the highest level has been thoroughly prepared and that experts and ministers have supplied suitable proposals,” Lavrov said.
Those requirements seemed to push any face-to-face far into the future. Echoing Putin, Lavrov depicted Zelenskyy as illegitimate, adding that “when it comes to signing eventual accords, the question of the legality of the individual who will be signing on Ukraine’s behalf will be settled.” Putin routinely sidelines the Ukrainian president’s name, branding his administration the “Kyiv regime.”
Lavrov also reiterated that Russia must be part of any post-war security assurances for Ukraine and dismissed Europe-backed talks as “pointless.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, next to India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, speaks at a joint briefing after their talks in Zinaida Morozova’s mansion in Moscow, Aug 21, 2025.Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via Reuters
After sounding upbeat about negotiations on Monday, Trump now says he will know within “a fortnight” if a breakthrough is possible.
“I’ll tell you in about two weeks whether we’re going to get there or not. After that we may have to change course, but we’ll find out soon,” Trump told radio host Todd Starnes.
Zelenskyy, meanwhile, charges that Russia is attempting to “evade” a meeting.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, August 20, 2025 and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Kyiv, Aug. 20, 2025.EPA/Shutterstock/AFP via Getty Images
“At the moment, Moscow’s tone is frankly indecent. They are sidestepping a summit. They don’t wish to end the war. They keep large-scale strikes pouring down on Ukraine and maintain fierce offensives along the front line—plus they have fired missiles at an American enterprise just as they routinely blast other purely civilian targets,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian leader vowed to press on with shuttle diplomacy and urged partners to intensify pressure on Russia to halt the invasion that began when Putin ordered his troops across the border in February 2022.
“Every passing day fortifies the architecture of Ukraine’s future security—weaponry, finances, allied collaboration, forces on land, in the sky and at sea,” Zelenskyy said Thursday.
ABC News correspondents William Gretsky and Anna Sergeeva contributed reporting.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
