Putin 'on his knees begging' for help from axis of tyranny as Ukraine goals fail

Another tone change from President Donald Trump on Tuesday at the United Nations General Assembly over his stance on the Russia-Ukraine war sent ripples all the way to the Kremlin.

After a private meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump abruptly switched his view on the conflict, insisting for the first time that Ukraine could win back all of its territory seized by Russia since its invasion in 2022. In response, the Kremlin announced it has "no alternative" but to continue waging war, "to ensure our interests and achieve the goals."

In an appearance on Fox News on Wednesday, former CIA Moscow station chief and current Fox contributor Daniel Hoffman said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely "feeling the pain" as he fails to "achieve his strategic objective." Putin is now "begging" his strategic rivals in the "axis of tyranny" - namely China, North Korea and Iran - for help in stalling Ukraine in solidifying diplomatic relations with the West, Hoffman said.

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If Putin's citizens, who live largely under an authoritarian dictatorship, witness Russian-speaking Ukrainians near the border enjoying a "vibrant democracy," it will be a "bad look" for Russia, Hoffman added.

Trump said Tuesday that he believed Ukraine could win back all territory lost to Russia, a dramatic shift from his repeated calls for Kyiv to make concessions to end the war. He posted on social media soon after meeting with Zelensky on the sidelines of the UNGA.

"I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form," he wrote. "With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original Borders from where this War started, is very much an option."

The strengthened support from Trump, if it sticks, is a huge win for Zelensky, who has urged the American president to keep up the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his war, according to The Associated Press. It was a departure from Trump's previous suggestions that Ukraine would never be able to reclaim all the territory that Russia has occupied since seizing the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

That had disheartened Zelensky, Europeans and Ukrainians and called into question the U.S. commitment to U.N. principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. But now, Trump's view of the battlefield coincides more with Ukraine's, Zelensky said.

Trump, going back to his 2024 campaign, insisted he would quickly end the war, but in late September had made little headway. His peace efforts were further stalled following a diplomatic blitz last month, when he held a summit with Putin and a White House meeting with Zelensky and European allies.

Trump has acknowledged, including in his U.N. speech to world leaders, that he thought a resolution to this conflict would be "the easiest" because he has had a good relationship with Putin, who in 2016 waged a disinformation effort to boost Trump's presidential campaign. Trump said he is open to imposing more sanctions on Russia and urged Europe to join in

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After the Alaska summit and meetings with Zelensky and European leaders, Trump announced he was arranging for a direct meeting between the warring leaders.

Putin has not shown any interest in meeting with Zelensky, however. Moscow has continued to escalate its bombardment of Ukraine, often targeting civilians in residential areas, while and has pursued several violations of NATO airspace.

"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 on social media. "This is not distinguishing Russia. In fact, it is very much making them look like 'a paper tiger.'"

"Russia isn't a tiger, it's more associated with a bear," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "There are no paper bears. Russia is a real bear."