Kremlin says Trump's Ukraine shift mistaken and swayed by Zelenskiy

By Andrew Osborn and Dmitry Antonov

MOSCOW (Reuters) -The Kremlin on Wednesday flatly rejected what Donald Trump said was the rationale behind his rhetorical U-turn on the war in Ukraine, saying it appeared that the U.S. president had been influenced by Ukraine's leader and was mistaken.

In an abrupt shift in Ukraine's favour, Trump said on Tuesday after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that he believed that Kyiv could recapture all of its land taken by Russia - which controls around one-fifth of the country - and that it should act now, with Moscow facing economic problems.

The Trump flip-flop was seen by some Russian nationalists as a sign he was washing his hands of the war in Ukraine after his unsuccessful attempts to broker a quick peace deal, noting he had not promised any more U.S. help to Kyiv but had rather placed the onus on Ukraine and the European Union.

The Kremlin, which says it is keen for better ties with Washington, countered that the Russian economy was stable, despite some problems caused by Western sanctions, and that Russian forces' slow but steady advance in Ukraine was part of a deliberate strategy, with Kyiv, not Moscow, on the back foot.

"As far as we understand, President Trump's statements were made after communicating with (Ukrainian President) Zelenskiy and, apparently, under the influence of a vision set out by Zelenskiy. This vision contrasts sharply with our understanding of the current state of affairs," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"The fact that Ukraine is being encouraged in every possible way to continue hostilities and the argument that Ukraine can win something back is, in our view, a mistaken argument... The dynamics on the front lines speak for themselves," he said.

Though Russia has continued to grind forward in many areas, it has not made a major breakthrough in Ukraine for some time. Dmitry Rogozin, a nationalist Russian senator, said he believed that the front lines were at an impasse, as parity in equipment, training and morale stalled momentum on both sides.

RUSSIA REJECTS TRUMP'S 'PAPER TIGER' COMMENT

Peskov said Russia's macroeconomic situation was stable, though data released by the Russian economy ministry on Wednesday showed that the GDP growth forecast for this year had been cut to 1% from 2.5%.

The finance ministry proposed raising value-added tax to fund military spending.

Trump's description of Russia as a "paper tiger" was rejected by the Kremlin. Russia was more associated with a bear than a tiger, Peskov told the RBC radio, and paper bears didn't exist.

Some Russian nationalists saw Trump's U-turn as bad news for Kyiv.

"Yes, Trump suddenly told the world about his love for Ukraine," said Konstantin Malofeyev, an ultra-nationalist tycoon and political influencer.

"But the main point... is that the U.S. is washing its hands of the matter. The European Union will pay for everything."

LAVROV TO SET OUT RUSSIA'S VIEW TO RUBIO

Peskov said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later on Wednesday and provide "real information" to Washington.  

He said Russia's incremental advances in Ukraine were deliberate.

"We are going forward very carefully to minimise losses and so as not to destroy our offensive potential," he said.

Western military analysts attribute the lack of any recent Russian breakthrough to resourceful Ukrainian defences and the nature of drone warfare, with both sides worn down by more than 3-1/2 years of war.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said Trump had "slipped into an alternate reality" and predicted he would U-turn again. "The main thing is to keep flipping his position 180 degrees on every possible issue," he said.

(Reporting by Andrew Osborn and Dmitry Antonov in Moscow; Additional reporting by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Sharon Singleton, Hugh Lawson and Ros Russell)