Trump said that Ukraine is losing territory and can keep fighting only thanks to Western weapons

Ukraine continues to lose territory and can keep fighting only thanks to Western weapons.

This was stated by U.S. President Donald Trump in an interview with Salem News Channel.

Speaking to journalists about Kyiv’s position, the White House chief said: “They are losing territory.”

“We sell it [the weapons] to NATO, and they then distribute it. I’ll put it this way: they [the Ukrainians] have the ability to fight because — regardless of whether the equipment is excellent or not quite so — they have the ability to wage war,” Trump said.

The American president also called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “a shrewd person” and said that he “behaved aggressively” during their meeting at the White House in early 2025.

In addition, Trump criticized the aid given to Kyiv under his predecessor Joe Biden, calling the transfer of $350 billion in weapons “ridiculous.”

Meanwhile, American officials believe that “Ukraine would not last even a day or two without international support.”

This was reported by Foreign Policy, citing European sources. At the same time, Europe itself does not share that view.

Nevertheless, because of the war in Iran, Kyiv has begun to face problems with weapons supplies. The key uncertainty now concerns missiles for Patriot systems.

“Everything will depend on the situation around Iran,” one European diplomat noted.

Another diplomat said that the United States had assured its partners that weapons already paid for under the PURL program would be delivered. However, regarding future packages, “there is still not much certainty.”

Yet another senior European diplomat expressed doubt that new deliveries would be approved, given the United States’ own weapons needs.

The publication’s sources also indicate that supplies to Ukraine could be used by Washington as leverage over Europe on the issue of the Strait of Hormuz.

At the same time, some European officials believe that Washington will not abandon the current scheme for financing Kyiv.

“I think President Trump likes PURL,” one diplomat said, referring to the mechanism under which Europeans pay for American weapons for Ukraine.

Earlier, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said that Washington had stopped purchasing weapons for Ukraine, calling this an achievement of the current administration.

Recently, Western media wrote that Zelensky is preparing for the continuation of the war without U.S. support.