Trump’s claim about Russia’s weakness is based on new intel - NY Post
Photo: US President Donald Trump (GettyImages)
US President Donald Trump’s remark that Russia is a “paper tiger” is based on new American intelligence showing the Kremlin’s deepening economic exhaustion and its growing risk of defeat on the battlefield following the invasion of Ukraine, the New York Post reports.
Strategic move
The media outlet wrote that Trump’s insistence that Ukraine can reclaim all occupied territories is a “strategic move” aimed at drawing Moscow into negotiations.
White House sources stressed that such statements do not mark a shift in Washington’s policy, but rather serve as part of a negotiation tactic designed to pressure Russia.
Despite US efforts and Kyiv’s readiness for peace talks, Russian leader Vladimir Putin has shown no interest in a truce and continues striking Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure.
In a recent post, Trump said that once Russian society “finds out what is really going on with this war economically, Ukraine would be able to take back their Country in its original form and, who knows, maybe even go further than that.”
Top Zelenskyy adviser Andriy Yermak called it natural that the US President would check and compare information. Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself emphasized that Trump now has more detailed knowledge of the situation than before.
Russia’s economic weakness
According to the New York Post, Russia’s financial troubles are worsening due to declining oil revenues and the depletion of “free resources” from its National Welfare Fund.
The International Energy Agency reported that Moscow’s oil export revenues dropped to $13.5 billion in August, while exports over the first eight months of 2025 fell 16% compared to the same period in 2024.
Russia’s Finance Ministry has also proposed raising the value-added tax to 22% and revised its projected economic growth for this year to 1% compared to 4.3% in 2024.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian long-range drone strikes on oil refineries have triggered gas shortages in the domestic market, forcing the Kremlin to balance between funding its military and covering social spending, analysts say.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt underscored that Trump is making clear Russia’s weakness. Vice President JD Vance added that Moscow’s refusal to engage in genuine peace talks would carry critical consequences for the country itself.
According to the New York Post, Trump’s statement is not only a signal to the Kremlin but also a reflection of the real situation: Russia’s economy is rapidly weakening, while Ukraine retains the ability to resist and has a realistic prospect of regaining its territories.
Reactions in Europe and Moscow
Recently, Trump said Ukraine has a chance to fully restore its territorial integrity and even “go further.”
Commenting on Russia, he argued the country has been waging a fruitless war for three and a half years, while a real military power would have won in a week. That, he said, makes Russia a “paper tiger” - fearsome in appearance but no real threat.
The European Union welcomed Trump’s remarks, saying they were all the right things.
The Kremlin, meanwhile, offered a bizarre denial, claiming Russia should be associated not with a tiger but rather with a bear.
