Russian President Vladimir Putin has fired back at U.S. President Donald Trump after Trump dismissed Russia as a “paper tiger” in its war against Ukraine.
Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Group in Sochi on Thursday, Putin mocked the remark and redirected his criticism toward NATO.
“A paper tiger. What follows then? Go and deal with this paper tiger,” Putin said. “If we are fighting the entire NATO bloc, moving forward, advancing, and we are still a ‘paper tiger,’ then what is NATO itself?”
Trump made the original comment on social media last week following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the UN General Assembly. He argued that with European backing, Ukraine could reclaim all its territory, adding that a “real military power” should have won the war in less than a week.
Putin claimed Russian forces were pushing forward “along the entire front” in Ukraine and accused NATO of direct involvement by supplying intelligence, weapons, and training to Kyiv.
He ended with a warning to the West: “If anyone wants to compete with Russia militarily, let them try. Our countermeasures will not be long in coming if Europe provokes us.”
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