Such statements mark a U-turn from earlier ideas of “land swaps” and the taboo on talking about victory in the war. But is this a real change of strategy—or just words without action, which the U.S. president often uses as cover? Espreso takes a closer look.From concessions for peace to victory in warTrump’s past statements about the war often frustrated Ukrainians, as they rarely matched reality.“What’s new in Trump’s words today, or what do they mean for us? Absolutely nothing. And what should we expect next? Also nothing,” MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak commented.“Even a broken clock can be right twice a day,” joked political analyst Volodymyr Horbach.Trump has long promised to “end the war in 24 hours,” later dismissing that as a joke. Most of his rhetoric, analysts say, reflects self-promotion and electoral gain. From blaming Biden and calling Ukraine a lost cause, to suggesting compromises with Russia, preventing NATO membership, or legitimizing “territorial swaps,” his goal often seemed to be flattering Putin and positioning himself as the only “real leader.”This fed illusions of quick peace deals and unrealistic expectations. The Alaska meeting, where Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin, reinforced perceptions that the U.S. president was enabling Kremlin aggression.But now, after his UN session with Zelenskyy, Trump suddenly pivoted—saying Ukraine could fully restore its borders if backed by NATO and the EU, while Russia faced economic decline and looked like a “paper tiger.” He even urged tougher European economic measures."The head-spinning twists emerge so frequently in US President Donald Trump’s Ukraine policy they have become mundane," CNN writes.Yet Trump himself announced no new sanctions, no weapons pledges, and no concrete commitments—leaving the burden on Europe.Ukraine’s strategy unchanged: survive and outlast RussiaIt is no surprise that The Telegraph ran a blunt headline: Trump is washing his hands of the Ukraine war. What may look like a dramatic shift is, in fact, bad news for Ukrainians, the paper noted.“Rather than pledging fresh support to Ukraine or loading up action on Russia, Mr Trump appears to be handing things over to Europe and NATO.There is no suggestion of extra support for Ukraine, or that he will punish Moscow further. His only commitment is to keep selling weapons to allies,” the outlet wrote, adding that such a stance is unlikely to change the course of the war.For Ukraine, the only option is to keep fighting and depleting Russia’s economy with strikes on oil refineries, which shrink the Kremlin’s purse, cause fuel shortages, and may stir some domestic pressure in Russia.To that end, the country continues to ramp up its own weapons production.As The Washington Post reports, instead of NATO accession and firm security guarantees, Ukraine’s Western allies have adopted an alternative strategy: investing billions into Ukraine’s defense industry so it can better defend itself. In return, the West gains access to new, battle-tested weapons it could one day use against Russian aggression.“The shift to positional warfare is prolonging the conflict and carries major risks for both the Armed Forces and the state as a whole. … The worst is yet to come. … Clearly, victory for Ukraine today means depriving Russia of the ability to impose its terms through war. That is the minimum survival program. Therefore, the state’s resilience in such a war of attrition fully depends on the situation at the front. … In turn, the situation at the front depends on many factors, and the most crucial one is technological development, which changes daily with a clear trend,” former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and current Ambassador to the UK Valerii Zaluzhnyi recently wrote in ZN.ua.Ukraine faces new impossible demandsA war of attrition carries one major risk: it may be Ukraine, not Russia, that exhausts first. There are no guarantees. Ukraine is increasingly dependent on Western financing (even seeking for them to start paying Ukrainian soldiers), and any change of government could cut that support. Added to this are a shortage of troops and a mass outflow of people due to the lack of prospects for ending the war. Without money, soldiers, workers, and a functioning economy, achieving the desired outcome is difficult—if not impossible.That is why CNN notes that, according to Trump’s words, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy now  “has gone from one impossible demand to another.”“He is no longer being asked to make unpalatable concessions of land Ukraine has lost thousands in the defense of. Instead, he is now being goaded into the impossible retaking of land Ukraine could not get back in the summer of 2023, during a heavily prepped counter-offensive. Neither option is an easy deliverable that prolongs Zelensky’s position or leaves Ukraine strong,” the outlet analyzes.As for Russia’s troubled economy, American journalists argue that a country capable of enduring around a million casualties can also “handle or ignore economic turbulence”“Moscow can take this pain, and when it becomes too much, China—its key bankroller—will likely find a way to help,” CNN writes, adding that this is an existential war for Putin, who will do everything possible to continue “pursuing his goals,” which he can justify despite enormous losses.Ultimately, Trump’s turnaround may prove to be just another manipulation—for example, to secure votes in the upcoming congressional elections—given the unfeasibility of what he suggests. Moreover, just hours after Trump’s remarks, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the war in Ukraine “cannot end militarily” and predicted it “will end at the negotiating table.” This reflects the U.S. president’s earlier stance, which he could easily pivot back to—making a full 360 degrees and ending up in the same place.As Politico noted, the EU, reacting to Trump’s changing stance, wavers between enthusiasm and skepticism, since he often shifts positions after conversations with other leaders—complicating the West’s response to the war and Moscow’s provocations.“Fortunately—or unfortunately for us—what Trump says on Monday is not what he said on Tuesday,” French President Emmanuel Macron quipped.