The statements of donald trump This Monday, in which he was ambiguous about Ukraine’s possibilities to defeat Russia, they revived tensions in an already convoluted scenario.
“They could win it. I don’t think they will, but they could,” Trump said during a meeting at the White House, encapsulating his ambivalent stance toward kyiv as he prepares for a new summit with Vladimir Putin in Budapest later this month.
“I never said they would win. I said they could win. Anything can happen. War is a very strange matter,” added the president when asked about his statements several weeks ago, when he asserted that kyiv was in a position to do a lot of damage to Moscow. according to the agency EFE.
The Republican boasted of having “solved eight wars in eight months,” but stressed his interest in ending the conflict in Ukraine.
“I think we will achieve it. But it has turned out to be unpleasant, because there are two leaders who really hate each other,” he said during a meeting with the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, according to the Spanish agency.
“I’ve solved eight wars in eight months. It’s not bad at all. I have one more left. It’s between Russia and Ukraine, and I think we’ll get it done. But it’s turned out to be unpleasant, because there are two leaders who really hate each other,” Trump said today. https://t.co/9uvhUkUYjA
— EFE News (@EFEnoticias) October 20, 2025
The war, which has now been going on for three and a half years, seems to have entered a critical phase where diplomacy and geopolitical interests collide with military reality, very unfavorable for kyiv. Trump, fluctuating between conditional support for Ukraine and seeking a deal with Moscow, has exposed the fissures within Western strategy.
Do the Rubio-Lavrov talks suggest a prelude to agreements?
While Trump maintains his unpredictable rhetoric, Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a “constructive” call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
According to the State Department, the dialogue sought to align positions ahead of the Budapest summit, although without specific commitments.
Sources close to the negotiations suggest that Washington is pressing for a solution that avoids escalation, but without giving in to Putin’s maximalist demands for Donetsk and Lugansk, territories that occupy just over 20% of current Ukrainian territory and contain great mining wealth and the country’s metallurgical industry.
“It is an opportunity to achieve a lasting resolution,” declared spokesman Tommy Piggot, although kyiv remains wary of any agreement that legitimizes Russian annexations.
Trump announces meeting with Putin in Budapest to continue seeking an end to the war in Ukraine
The Tomahawks and the Patriots
One of the thorniest points arose after the meeting between Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. The Ukrainian leader confirmed that the US rejected his request for Tomahawk cruise missiles, capable of hitting targets deep in Russian territory.
The refusal, according to analysts, reflects Trump’s fear of an escalation prior to his next meeting with Putin.
“In my opinion, he does not want a direct confrontation with Russia before negotiating,” admitted Zelensky, for his part, trying to maintain a conciliatory tone despite the frustration in kyiv.
Last month, Trump had hinted at his willingness to send the missiles, but, true to his contradictory positions, he made an abrupt turn after his last call with Putin.
Given the lack of offensive weapons, Ukraine seeks to reinforce its air defense with the purchase of 25 Patriot systems, financed with frozen Russian assets.
However, Zelensky warned that production deadlines could delay its arrival. “We spoke with Trump about accelerating the process through European allies,” he explained. The price of the Patriot interceptors is estimated to be around $4 million per missile.
Washington’s interest is not limited to the military: bilateral energy projects—such as a gas terminal in Odessa—are also on the table, revealing an economic agenda that could influence peace negotiations.
Zelensky and the Budapest summit
The Ukrainian president expressed his willingness to participate in the Trump-Putin summit if he receives a formal invitation. However, he criticized the role of Hungary, governed by the pro-Russian Viktor Orban.
“I don’t think that someone who blocks Ukraine can contribute anything positive,” he said.
kyiv’s absence from the talks could marginalize its interests, but Zelensky insists that any agreement must respect “territorial integrity.”
Moscow, for its part, maintains its demand that Ukraine renounce Donbas, a condition unacceptable for kyiv.
British troops and fall of military aid from Europe
Meanwhile, in a revealing turn, British Defense Minister John Healey announced that London is willing to deploy troops to Ukraine following an eventual ceasefire, at an estimated cost of $134 million.
The measure, interpreted as a “security guarantee,” could exacerbate tensions with Russia, which has already warned about the “unacceptability” of NATO forces in the region.
Meanwhile, a report from the Kiel Institute released this Monday reveals that military aid to Ukraine has decreased dramatically, with a 57% drop in European contributions over the summer compared to the first half of the year, amounting to €1.9 billion per month.
Although the European Union (EU) increased its support following the pause in US aid in early 2025, this momentum faded, including with NATO’s PURL program, which facilitates the transfer of US weapons to Ukraine.
On the other hand, Kaja Kallas, high representative of the EU, recognized deficiencies in ammunition shipments to Ukraine, missing 300,000 cartridges of the two million promised.
The diary Neue Zürcher Zeitung attributes the drop in aid to the lack of funds or will of European countries. In this regard, he points out that only a few continue to collaborate, while others lack the technological or productive capacity to supply key weapons, according to an office from the portal Russia Today.
