Trump's Ukraine rhetoric shift signals reduced US involvement, Poland's Tusk says
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Sept. 25 tempered optimism over U.S. President Donald Trump's recent pro-Ukrainian statements, warning they may signal Washington scaling back its engagement in the war.
"Behind this surprising optimism lies a signal of reduced U.S. involvement and a shift of responsibility for ending the war to Europe," Tusk said on X. "Better truth than illusions."
After meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky in New York earlier this week, Trump declared that Ukraine "is in a position to fight and win all of Ukraine back in its original form" — with European support.
Kyiv and some European officials welcomed this sudden shift in rhetoric, with Zelensky saying that Trump realized he was being misled by Russian President Vladimir Putin and now trusts Ukraine instead.
Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, called Trump's remarks "very strong statements that we haven't heard before," while French President Emmanuel Macron described them as "very correct."
However, Tusk's reaction reveals that some in Europe worry Trump is actually seeking to distance himself from the war, passing the burden of supporting Ukraine to European countries.
Undisclosed EU officials told the Financial Times that Trump appears to be "disengaging" and "is building the off-ramp" to blame Europe when and if he needs to.
As Trump's months-long efforts to broker a peace deal in Ukraine stalled, he has increasingly voiced frustration with Moscow's refusal to end hostilities.
The U.S. president has threatened to impose additional sanctions on Russia, but his steps have so far been limited to fresh tariffs on India, Moscow's leading buyer of oil.
The Trump administration has demanded that the EU step up pressure as well — including through cutting off Russian oil purchases and by imposing steep tariffs on China — as a condition for further measures from the U.S. side.
Experts told the Kyiv Independent earlier this month that Trump's demands suggest he seeks to blame Europe for the lack of additional measures against Russia.
Trump has also already begun shifting the burden of arming Ukraine onto Europe. Under NATO's new Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, European allies are now purchasing U.S. weapons to send to Kyiv.
