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A top Russian official has pushed back on statements made by President Donald Trump related to Russia appearing to be a “paper tiger.”

Some shit you should know before you dig in: If you’re unaware, yesterday President Trump announced that he believed Ukraine is now in a position to win back all of its territory, citing what he described as Russia’s growing vulnerabilities. He referred to Russia as a “paper tiger,” arguing that its failure to achieve a quick victory in Ukraine exposes deep flaws in its military capability. Trump pointed to Russia’s economic instability, worsened by sweeping Western sanctions and Ukraine’s increasingly effective strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, as key indicators that Moscow is under serious pressure. He framed the moment as a critical window for Ukraine to act, adding that with sustained backing from NATO and the European Union, Ukraine could potentially restore its pre-war borders and even go beyond.

What’s going on now: In response to Trump’s statements, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pushed back, saying,“Russia is not a tiger. Russia is more often associated with a bear. There are no ‘paper bears,’ and Russia is a real bear,” Peskov said during an interview with RBC Radio. He suggested that Trump’s remarks were influenced by his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, stating, “Of course, President Trump heard Zelensky’s version of events. And apparently at this point, this version is the reason for the assessment we heard.”

Peskov also dismissed Trump’s claims about Russia’s economic fragility, arguing that the country remains stable despite ongoing sanctions and military expenditures. “Despite certain points of tension due to Western sanctions, Russia maintains resilience and macroeconomic stability,” he said. He argued that the Russian military’s slow pace in Ukraine was not due to weakness, but part of a deliberate strategy to “minimize losses” and “not undermine our offensive potential.”

This all comes as Peskov acknowledged that the path to restoring relations with the US is proving difficult, stating, “Efforts to repair US-Russia relations are moving much slower than we would like.” He added that the US continues to tie any diplomatic thaw to the resolution of the war in Ukraine, a condition Moscow views as obstructive.