---
title: "From 'No Trump Cards' to Admiration: How Ukrainian Drone Successes Changed Trump's View of the War"
description: "Donald Trump changed his tone towards Ukraine after reviewing intelligence data on drone strikes. If he previously spoke of Kyiv having no 'trump cards,' he now highly praises their ingenuity. Experts link this to growing war fatigue in Russia and hopes for a quick deal."
date: 2026-07-12T00:44:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/from-no-trump-cards-to-admiration-how-ukrainian-drone-successes-changed-trumps-view-of-the-war
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# From 'No Trump Cards' to Admiration: How Ukrainian Drone Successes Changed Trump's View of the War

![Donald Trump in a blue suit with a red tie, seated at a table with a microphone, with the US flag and a painting in the background](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/12/tramp-izmenil-ton-v-otnoshenii-ukrainy-posle-udarov-dronov/tramp-izmenil-ton-v-otnoshenii-ukrainy-posle-udarov-dronov-1.webp)

The political climate surrounding Ukraine in Washington has undergone significant changes. If Donald Trump previously told Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Kyiv had 'no trump cards up its sleeve,' his rhetoric has become significantly softer today. The reason for this shift in the American leader's position is Ukraine's real combat successes, particularly in the field of strike technologies.

### Impression of Strike Capabilities

As RBK-Ukraine reports citing The Washington Post, during the NATO summit, Donald Trump met personally with the Ukrainian president and highly praised Kyiv's ingenuity. He paid special attention to Ukraine's capabilities in the field of long-range unmanned aerial vehicles. According to two US officials familiar with the situation, Trump is regularly briefed on intelligence reports regarding new achievements of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and this data makes a strong impression on him.

This shift in perception is confirmed at the level of officials as well. Deputy Head of the President's Office Serhiy Kislitsia noted in an interview with RBK-Ukraine that Trump's and his administration's attitude towards Ukraine has improved significantly. In his words, Americans are people of winners, and the Ukrainian army is demonstrating successful results both on the battlefield and during strikes on Russian territory.

### War Psychology and the Kremlin's Position

Parallel to the change in views in Washington, public pressure is growing in Russia. Officials note that against the backdrop of regular Ukrainian attacks, Russian society is increasingly inclined to end the military conflict. It is these factors, experts believe, that explain why Trump has started speaking more positively about Ukraine than at the beginning of 2025.

Nevertheless, Moscow's position remains tough. Vladimir Putin continues to publicly insist on maximalist military goals, demanding territorial concessions from Ukraine and the restoration of Moscow's influence within the country. US officials put forward the hypothesis that by the end of the year, Putin may be open to a deal capable of stopping the war on terms acceptable to Kyiv. However, there are also skeptical assessments: some sources claim that the Russian leader will 'never' go for such conditions.

### Diplomatic Breakthrough

The meeting of leaders in Turkey became an important starting point in the relations between Kyiv and Washington. The successes of Ukrainian drones in Russia opened new possibilities for diplomacy, confirmed by US State Department representative Ian Beaton. In turn, at the meeting on July 8, Donald Trump not only commented on Ukraine's long-range strikes, calling them an escalation that could lead to the end of the war, but also stated that the US is ready to give Ukraine the right to produce Patriot air defense systems.