Did Trump just suggest Ukraine should have been ALLOWED TO ATTACK Russia? In slamming Biden, he said it's impossible to win a war without...

Even as he leads a frenzy of diplomacy to end the Ukraine-Russia war, US President Donald Trump appeared to have suggested that Ukraine should be allowed to attack Russia, as a country cannot win a war without going on the offensive, in his opinion. He made this suggestion in a social media post on Thursday (Aug 21), in which he mainly criticised his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden for not giving offensive weapons to Ukraine.

What did Trump say about ‘allowing Ukraine to play offensive’?

Trump, in the Truth Social post, said Ukraine should take a more aggressive military stance. "Biden would not let Ukraine FIGHT BACK, only DEFEND," he noted.

"It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invader’s country," Trump posted.

He used a sports analogy to explain it. "It’s like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defence, but is not allowed to play offensive. There is no chance of winning!"

Giving a sense of foreboding, Trump concluded his post with, "Interesting times ahead!!!"

So, is Trump now advocating that Ukraine attack Russia?

The situation is fluid, but Trump is clearly frustrated that his election promise to end the Ukraine war is nowhere near fruition. He had earlier opposed Ukraine attacking inside Russia, calling such moves escalatory. But recent comments appear to suggest that Ukrainian military offensives against Russia could be on the table if talks fail.

Earlier, the White House had confirmed speculative reports that Trump discussed with President Volodymyr Zelensky the possibility of Ukraine targeting St Petersburg and Moscow with US-supplied weapons.
But in the same breath, the Trump administration stressed that he was just "asking a question, not encouraging further killing."

Trump's comments came as Russia cast doubt on Putin-Zelensky direct talks

Since the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, things on the ground have not moved much despite huddles in the White House and elsewhere between Trump, Zelensky, and European leaders.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was not too forthright about a direct Putin-Zelensky summit, though the White House earlier said Putin had “promised” such a meeting.

Lavrov made any possible summit dependent on a 'comprehensive agreement', saying Putin is willing to meet on the understanding that "all issues requiring consideration at the highest level will be thoroughly worked out and experts and ministers will prepare appropriate recommendations."

Lavrov also questioned whether Zelensky is a legitimate leader to sign an agreement with Russia. "When it comes to signing future agreements, the question of the legitimacy of the person signing these agreements on the Ukrainian side will be resolved."

He also rejected the post-war security discussions led by Europe as "futile."

‘One way or other, we'll know in two weeks’: Trump’s uncertainty about future of war

In a sign that his earlier optimism is waning, Trump told radio host Todd Starnes, when asked about an end to the war:
"Well... I'll let you know in about, I would say within two weeks, we're going to know one way or the other. After that, we'll have to maybe take a different tack, but we'll see, but we'll know pretty soon."

Attacks are continuing on both sides amid talks for peace

In spite of the talks, the war is going strong on the ground, with Ukraine attacking Russian installations and Russia continuing to pound Ukrainian targets.

"They do not want to end this war. They continue massive attacks against Ukraine and extremely intense assaults on the front line," he said.