Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov disputes the President’s assessment of Russia’s military and economic weakness, as President Trump’s shift in rhetoric receives a mixed international reception.
A day after President Donald Trump publicly derided Russia’s military as a “paper tiger,” a top Russian official fired back with a bizarre comparison, insisting the country should be referred to as a “real bear.”
The defiance from the Kremlin highlights the growing frustration between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin over the protracted war in Ukraine. RELATED: Trump Calls Russia A ‘Paper Tiger,’ Says Ukraine Can Win War With Allied Support
During an interview with Russian state media, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov disputed the president’s characterization of Russia’s military and economic standing.
“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.”
Peskov’s remarks came in direct response to a social media post from President Trump on Tuesday, where he sharply criticized Russia for its military performance.
Following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the United Nations, Trump wrote, “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. This is not distinguishing Russia. In fact, it is very much making them look like ‘a paper tiger.'”
The President’s evolving stance on the war reflects what he has described as growing frustration with his Russian counterpart.
During his UN address, Trump alluded to his increasingly strained relationship with Putin, stating, “I’ve also been working relentlessly stopping the killing in Ukraine. I thought that would be, of the seven wars that I stopped, I thought that would be the easiest because of my relationship with President Putin, which had always been a good one.”
He added that the ongoing conflict “was supposed to be just a quick little skirmish” and is “not making Russia look good, it’s making them look bad.”
The public dispute follows a recent high-profile military parade in Beijing on September 2, where Putin joined Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. President Trump subsequently blasted the trio for working to “conspire against” the United States.
Despite the pointed criticism from Moscow, President Trump’s comments were met with optimism in Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy praised the shift, saying, “President Trump was more positive in it, and he showed that he wants to support Ukraine to the very end.” Zelenskyy said he believes Trump “understands for today that we can’t just swap territories. It’s not fair.”
President Trump’s post also voiced optimism that Ukraine could ultimately retake all of its territory with the financial backing of the European Union and NATO, a position that contrasts with previous suggestions of territorial concessions.
Russia currently controls one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, but Trump believes that with allied support and Russia’s economic troubles, Ukraine is “in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form.”
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