WASHINGTON — The Kremlin has fired back at President Donald Trump’s latest swipe at Russia, rejecting his claim that Moscow’s military has proven to be a “paper tiger” in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Russia is not such a thing, instead insisting that the country remains a symbol of enduring strength.
“Russia is by no means a tiger. Russia is traditionally seen as a bear. There is no such thing as paper bears. Russia is a real bear,” Peskov told RBC Radio. “There is nothing paper about it.”
Trump had used his appearance at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to issue one of his strongest rebukes yet of Moscow’s war effort. He said Russia’s prolonged campaign in Ukraine had exposed fundamental weaknesses.
“Russia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years, a war that should have taken a real military power less than a week to win,” Trump wrote earlier on Truth Social. “This is not distinguishing Russia. In fact, it is very much making them look like ‘a paper tiger.’”
The president added that Ukraine now had the momentum to reclaim all its territory — and possibly push further. “Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act,” he said.
Moscow pushes back on economic claim.s
Peskov also rejected Trump’s portrayal of Russia’s economy, which has faced repeated Western sanctions. “Moscow maintains resilience and macroeconomic stability,” he said.
Russia’s economy minister admitted earlier this year that the country was on the brink of recession. President Vladimir Putin later pledged to cut military spending but downplayed financial difficulties, framing them as “deliberate action” to fight inflation.
U.S. and allies weigh new sanctions
Trump has called for further pressure on Russia’s oil and gas sector, proposing secondary tariffs targeting nations that continue to purchase Russian fuel. However, he emphasised that such measures would need to be coordinated with the European Union.
“For those tariffs to be effective, European nations — all of you are gathered here right now — would have to join us in adopting the same measures,” Trump told the UNGA. “They’re buying oil and gas from Russia while they’re fighting Russia. It’s embarrassing.”
Putin-Trump meeting and escalating conflict
Trump met with Putin in Alaska on August 15 in what the White House described as part of an effort to broker peace. But since then, Russian forces have intensified attacks on Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that Putin’s repeated dishonesty with Trump may have prompted the U.S. president’s more forceful stance.
“I think the fact that Putin was lying to President Trump so many times also made a difference between us,” Zelensky told Fox News on Tuesday.
