‘If Russia Is a Paper Tiger, Then What Is NATO?’ – Putin Fires Back at Trump’s Remarks
Russian President Vladimir Putin has hit back at U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent description of Russia as a “paper tiger,” redirecting the criticism toward the NATO alliance.
Speaking on Thursday at the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Putin responded to Trump’s comments, which were made last week on social media after the U.S. leader’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Trump had argued that with European backing, Ukraine could reclaim all its territory and mocked Russia as a “paper tiger,” claiming that the war—now in its third year—“should have taken a real military power less than a week to win.”
Putin dismissed the remarks as “simplistic and provocative,” adding that such statements undermine diplomacy and ignore the complexities of modern warfare.
In his rebuttal, Putin questioned the intent of Trump’s remark, saying he did not know if 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 insisted that Russian forces were advancing along the entire front in Ukraine and claimed that almost the entire U.S.-led NATO alliance was now fighting against Russia, providing Ukraine with intelligence, weapons, and training.
The Russian President concluded with a warning to the West, stating that if any nation wished to compete with Russia in the military sphere, they should “feel free, let them try,” and cautioned that Russia’s countermeasures “will not be long in coming” if it perceives Europe is provoking Moscow.
