Information
President Donald Trump, in a post on Truth Social, argued that Ukraine cannot win its war with Russia by relying solely on defence and must take a more offensive approach. He compared the situation to a sports team that has strong defence but is not allowed to attack, insisting that victory is impossible under those conditions. Trump blamed President Joe Biden for restricting Ukraine to defensive operations, calling him “crooked and grossly incompetent,” and reiterated his long-standing claim that the war would never have occurred had he been in office.
The statement comes in the context of a recent policy shift by the Biden administration. Just two weeks after losing the 2024 election to Trump, Biden approved the use of long-range U.S. missiles by Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia, a major change from earlier restrictions. Trump had previously criticised this decision, but his latest comments suggest he supports a stronger Ukrainian offensive while continuing to highlight contrasts between his leadership and Biden’s handling of the war.
Source: DW, Reuters, Truth Social
So What
Ukraine’s ability to mount a significant offensive is likely constrained by manpower shortages and the challenges of defending a wide frontage, which limits operational flexibility and reduces the feasibility of sustained offensive actions. At the same time, it is possible that President Trump now seeks for Ukraine to shift into an offensive posture as a means of increasing pressure on President Putin to negotiate, representing a notable shift in his positioning on the conflict. This development may place additional political and strategic pressure on Kyiv, compelling Ukrainian leadership to weigh external expectations against their own limited resources and battlefield realities.
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