Russian President Vladimir Putin has strongly rebuked U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent description of Russia as a “paper tiger,” redirecting the criticism toward the NATO alliance instead.
During his speech at the Valdai Discussion Group held in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi on Thursday, Putin responded directly to Trump’s comments. These remarks were posted on social media last week following Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
In his social media post, Trump claimed that with European backing, Ukraine could reclaim all its territory and referred to Russia as a “paper tiger” for waging what he described as a directionless war for over three and a half years. He argued that “a Real Military Power” should have concluded such a conflict “in less than a week.”
Putin pushed back against Trump’s statement by questioning the seriousness of the comment, stating he was uncertain whether the U.S. President was being “ironic.”
“A paper tiger. What follows then? Go and deal with this paper tiger,” Putin said. “Well if we are fighting with the entire NATO bloc, we are moving, advancing, and we feel confident, and we are a ‘paper tiger,’ then what is NATO itself?”
Putin went on to assert that Russian troops were making gains across the full front line in Ukraine. He further claimed that virtually the whole NATO alliance, led by the United States, was already engaged in the conflict against Russia by supplying Ukraine with weapons, intelligence, and military training.
The Russian leader ended his remarks with a caution to Western nations, declaring that if any country intended to challenge Russia militarily, they were welcome to try. He warned that Russia’s retaliation “will not be long in coming” if it believes Europe is inciting Moscow.
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli
