US President Donald Trump tacitly acknowledges Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and notes Kyiv has been on the defensive – while hinting at turning the tables – in a sudden shift of tone on Thursday, Aug. 21.

Trump’s remarks – one of his most pro-Ukrainian to date – came after Russian missiles destroyed the office of a US-based electronics manufacturer in western Ukraine, though it is unclear if the events are related.

In his Truth Social update, he first said it is “very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invaders [sic] country,” tacitly acknowledging Russia’s role in invading Ukraine.

“It’s like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defense, but is not allowed to play offense. There is no chance of winning!” he wrote.

He then referenced Ukraine and Russia, first criticizing his predecessor Joe Biden – not for starting the invasion, as he previously claimed, but for “not [letting] Ukraine FIGHT BACK.”

“Crooked and grossly incompetent Joe Biden would not let Ukraine FIGHT BACK, only DEFEND. How did that work out? Regardless, this is a war that would have NEVER happened if I were President – ZERO CHANCE,” Trump wrote.

Trump concluded his update with a cryptic message without referencing support for Kyiv.

“Interesting times ahead!!!” Trump concluded, signing off with his initials as opposed to the usual “thank you for your attention to this matter” seen in his Ukraine-related updates.

On Thursday, Russia launched a major aerial assault across Ukraine – one of the largest, involving over 600 drones and missiles – following recent peace talks.

On Aug. 15, Trump met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska, where the two hinted at progress toward a peace deal as the Trump administration slashed its earlier plan to impose more sanctions on Moscow if a ceasefire was not achieved.

Putin reportedly relayed his peace terms – similar to Moscow’s war goals – to Trump during the talks, which Trump hailed as “highly productive.”

The Alaska meeting was followed by a White House summit on Monday, attended by President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders.

Trump briefed the leaders on Moscow’s conditions, with all parties – including Putin – supposedly agreeing that security guarantees for Kyiv are essential in any peace deal.

Zelensky said territorial concessions remain a subject of discussion between him and Putin only.

But on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called for Russia and China to be involved in the guarantees – a proposal that undermines the very purpose of security guarantees, which is to prevent another Russian invasion.

Lavrov also rejects foreign troop deployments to Ukraine, which is one of the core components of the guarantees.

Following Thursday’s attacks and the latest developments, both Kyiv and France reiterated that Russia might not be sincere about peace, despite the public statements.