Trump explained whether he had changed his position on Ukraine's victory: They still could, but I don't think it will happen
Donald Trump (Photo: JIM LO SCALZO/EPA)

President of the United States Donald Trump said that Ukraine could still win the war against it by Russia, but noted that he did not think it would happen. The American politician said this during the meeting with Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese.

The journalist reminded Trump of his statement after meetings with the president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Then the head of the US wrote that with the support of the European Union, Ukraine could regain its entire territory.

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"They [Ukrainians] could still win, I don't think they will, but they could still win. I never said they would win, I said they could win," the US president replied.

At the same time, he stated that "anything can happen," noting that war is "a very strange thing" where "a lot of bad things happen, a lot of good things happen."

In this context, Trump recalled the US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities at the end of June 2025, which, according to the US leader, led to a make a deal in the Gaza Strip.

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  • Earlier, the FT's interlocutors said that on October 17, at the White House, Trump called on Zelenskyy to accept Russia's conditions for ending the war, warning that Putin had said he would "destroy" Ukraine if its president does not agree.
  • However, the US president himself denied the information that he allegedly called on Zelenskyy to give up Donbas to Russia, reiterating his position on freezing the war on the current front line.
  • Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president confirmed that during a meeting at the White House, special envoy Witkoff conveyed to him Russia's demand to withdraw troops from Donetsk and Luhansk regions. However, the head of state emphasized that Kyiv's position on this issue has not changed.
  • Reuters' interlocutors said that during the meeting at the White House, Trump discussed providing security guarantees to both Kyiv and Moscow, and several times used foul language.
Volodymyr ZelenskyyDonald Trumpnegotiations