Russia Dismisses Trump’s ‘Paper Tiger’ Remark, Vows to Press Ahead With Ukraine Offensive

<p>The Kremlin on Wednesday vowed to continue its military offensive in Ukraine, pushing back against US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s claim that Kyiv could reclaim all occupied territory and his description of Russia as a &ldquo;paper tiger.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Trump&rsquo;s sharp comments came a day earlier after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the United Nations, marking a notable shift in his tone on the nearly four-year war. The Republican leader, who once boasted he could end the conflict &ldquo;within hours,&rdquo; suggested Ukraine could even go beyond reclaiming its pre-2022 borders.</p>
<p>Moscow was quick to reject that assessment.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The idea that Ukraine can recapture something is, from our point of view, mistaken,&rdquo; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He added that Russia would continue what it calls its &ldquo;special military operation&rdquo; to secure long-term national interests: &ldquo;We are doing this for both the present and the future of our country. For many generations to come. Therefore, we have no alternative.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>Russia Pushes Back on Trump&rsquo;s Remarks</h2>
<p>Peskov also dismissed Trump&rsquo;s &ldquo;paper tiger&rdquo; remark. &ldquo;Russia is more associated with a bear. And paper bears don&rsquo;t exist. Russia is a real bear,&rdquo; he said. He acknowledged, however, that Russia&rsquo;s economy was under strain from the costs of the war, with the finance ministry proposing a sales tax hike next year to offset a widening budget deficit.</p>
<p>Since launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Moscow has seized roughly one-fifth of Ukraine, including the Crimean peninsula annexed in 2014. The war has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions, and devastated eastern and southern Ukraine.</p>
<p>Despite Trump&rsquo;s dismissal of Russia&rsquo;s military strength, Moscow has continued its slow but grinding advances on the battlefield. Both armies have suffered heavy losses in recent months.</p>
<h2>Escalating Strikes</h2>
<p>Meanwhile, Ukraine has intensified its campaign against Russian energy infrastructure. Overnight, Kyiv&rsquo;s drones struck a major oil refinery in Russia&rsquo;s Bashkortostan region, sparking a massive fire. A separate drone strike killed two people in the Russian port city of Novorossiysk, near annexed Crimea, according to local authorities.</p>