Topline
President Donald Trump used a sports analogy to describe the Russia-Ukraine war in a Truth Social post Thursday—as Trump has retreated from demanding a cease-fire and instead backed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s call for an end to the war after their meeting last week.
President Donald Trump welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 18, 2025. (Photo by Hu Yousong/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
Key Facts
Trump said Ukraine is “like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defense, but is not allowed to play offense” in a Truth Social post Thursday, alleging President Joe Biden “would not let Ukraine FIGHT BACK, only DEFEND.”
Trump said “there is no chance of winning!” in the sports scenario he described.
The Biden administration was reluctant to let Ukraine use U.S.-supplied weapons to launch attacks deeper into Russian territory, as Putin threatened to retaliate by attacking North American Treaty Organization countries in retaliation and force NATO into a war with Russia.
The president made the comments after meeting with Putin last week and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Monday.
Since meeting with Putin, Trump has abandoned his call for a cease-fire and instead has said he wants to see an end to the war, suggesting Ukraine should cede territory to Russia.
Trump’s rhetoric about the war has become increasingly favorable toward Russia since meeting with Putin—in addition to ditching his cease-fire demands, Trump appears to be slow-walking any sanctions against Russia, despite promising “severe consequences” if Putin didn’t agree to a cease-fire.
Crucial Quote
“This was a war and Russia is a powerful military nation…it’s a much bigger nation [than Ukraine]…you don’t take on a nation that’s ten times your size,” Trump told Fox News on Tuesday, suggesting Ukraine is partly to blame for starting the war with Russia.
Tangent
Trump was caught on a hot mic at Monday’s summit with European leaders and Zelenskyy telling French President Emmanuel Macron “I think he wants to make a deal for me,” referring to Putin.
Key Background
Trump and Putin offered few details from their meeting last week, though no progress appears to have been made toward ending the war. Trump reiterated his stance that a cease-fire was unnecessary following his meeting with Zelenskyy and European leaders Monday in Washington, though he did say he supports some security guarantees for Ukraine, including potentially air support, one of Zelenskyy’s key demands for ending the war. Trump also said he hopes to broker a sitdown between Zelenskyy and Putin, and would join a subsequent meeting with the two leaders if necessary.
Further Reading
Trump Says He Called Putin To Make ‘Arrangements’ For Putin-Zelenskyy Meeting (Forbes)
Trump Will Meet Zelensky In D.C. Monday After Alaska Meeting With Putin (Forbes)
Trump Says ‘No Deal’ With Putin Following Meeting In Alaska (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2025/08/21/trump-compares-russia-ukraine-war-to-sports/