From: Transform Ukraine By Douglas Landro / September 24, 2025
A day when America reversed its Ukraine policy, Russian missiles struck during peace talks, and Moscow’s territorial claims expanded beyond previous declarations
The Story of a Single Day
On September 23, 2025—the 1,308th day of a war that began with tanks rolling across borders—the conflict’s diplomatic landscape underwent its most dramatic transformation yet. In a conference room overlooking Manhattan’s East River, two presidents met for what would become the most consequential bilateral discussion since the invasion began. At that very moment, thousands of miles away in Ukraine, Russian missiles were striking civilian targets even as Moscow’s defense ministry issued unprecedented public declarations about territorial objectives that extended far beyond anything previously acknowledged.
This was the day when three years of grinding warfare finally produced the diplomatic breakthrough that no battlefield victory had achieved. American policy underwent a complete reversal that sent shockwaves through global capitals, while Russian strategic overreach revealed itself through the Kremlin’s own admissions. Ukrainian drones struck targets deep inside Russia as Ukrainian officials discovered listening devices in government offices and international investigators documented systematic torture in Russian detention facilities.
The day began with routine diplomatic protocol at the United Nations and ended with fundamental alterations to the war’s trajectory. By nightfall in New York, the strategic landscape of the conflict had been transformed in ways that three years of combat had failed to accomplish.
President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) attends a bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump (R) at the 80th session of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) at the U.N. headquarters in New York City. (Presidential Office/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Trump’s Revolutionary About-Face: When America Changes Course
The most stunning moment occurred not on any battlefield, but in the carefully choreographed setting of the United Nations, where Donald Trump delivered a policy reversal that reverberated across continents. Following his bilateral meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump posted a declaration on Truth Social that shattered three years of diplomatic assumptions: “I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form.”
The statement continued with even greater specificity: “With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original Borders from where this War started, is very much an option.” Trump characterized Russia as having been fighting “aimlessly for three and a half years” and described the country as looking like “a paper tiger.”
During their joint press conference, Trump revealed the calculations behind his transformation. “Well, the biggest progress is that the Russian economy is terrible right now,” he explained. “It’s crashing. And frankly, Ukraine is doing a very good job of stopping this very large army. It’s pretty amazing.”
Voice of Ukraine 