WASHINGTON — President Trump insisted Thursday that Ukraine has the right to strike inside Russia as it attempts to fend off Moscow’s 41-month-old invasion.
“It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invaders [sic] country. It’s like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defense, but is not allowed to play offensive. There is no chance of winning! It is like that with Ukraine and Russia,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The president was likely referring to Ukraine’s recent strikes on Russian oil refineries.
A facility in Rostov Oblast, near the border with Ukraine, was set ablaze overnight after being hit with an apparent drone strike.
President Trump greets President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, on August 18, 2025, at the West Wing Lobby entrance of the White House. Daniel Torok/White House/UPI/ShutterstockUkraine also invaded Russia’s Kursk region in 2024, and successfully hit air bases deep inside Kremlin territory with a secret drone attack called “Operation Spiderweb” in June.
Trump had supported Ukraine’s counteroffensive on Kursk back in August of 2024, telling The Post at the time that the Ukrainians had to fight.
“Crooked and grossly incompetent Joe Biden would not let Ukraine FIGHT BACK, only DEFEND defend. How did that work out? Regardless, this is a war that would have NEVER happened if I were President – ZERO CHANCE. Interesting times ahead!!! President DJT,” Trump went on in Thursday’s lengthy post.
Meanwhile, the president has fiercely condemned Russia’s strikes on civilians after Moscow launched 614 aerial munitions overnight, despite Trump’s recent efforts to secure a peace deal.
Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders at the White House on Monday in an effort to work out a strategy to end the war, which he pledged to do during last year’s presidential campaign.
A soldier from Ukraine’s 44th Hetman Danylo Apostol Separate Artillery Brigade stands by a 2S22 Bohdana self-propelled howitzer that is being fired during a combat mission in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on August 20, 2025. Ukrinform/ShutterstockThe US president met his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, face-to-face for the first time since 2019 in Alaska on Friday for what the White House described as a “listening session.”
Now, Trump is attempting to coordinate a bilateral meeting between Zelensky and Putin.
President Trump fired off a Truth Social post Thursday morning defending Ukraine’s counterattack on Russia.
However, no date or location has been set, and the Russians are indicating they want additional concessions before that meeting takes place.
The president was also involved in discussions with European leaders about what security guarantees the West could promise Ukraine in a possible peace deal.
On Tuesday, Trump ruled out deploying US troops, but did say he was considering providing “air” support, without specifying further.
Moscow has taken issue with the West assisting Ukraine, insisting the Kremlin be included in talks on Kyiv’s postwar future.
Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s minister of foreign affairs, said Wednesday that discussing security guarantees without Russian involvement was leading the US and Europe on a “road to nowhere.”
Lavrov’s comments directly contradicted special envoy Steve Witkoff’s claim that the Russians had agreed with the US providing Ukraine protections similar to NATO’s Article 5 — without Ukraine joining the Atlantic alliance.
Article 5 of NATO’s charter states than an attack on one member is considered an attack on all members. It has only been invoked once — after the Sept. 11, 2001, Al Qaeda terror attacks on the US.
