Russia resembles a bear more than a tiger, and paper bears don’t exist: Peskov responds to Trump

The Kremlin cannot agree with all statements made by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the Russia-Ukraine military conflict, Russian Presidential Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on RBC Radio.

He attributed the timing of Trump’s remarks to the Republican leader’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. At the same time, Peskov noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin appreciates Trump’s willingness to help resolve the Ukrainian crisis.

Commenting on Trump’s remark that Russia is a “paper tiger,” Peskov said Russia resembles a bear more than a tiger—and that paper bears do not exist.

“The phrase ‘paper tiger’ was used in reference to our economy… Russia is certainly not a tiger. After all, Russia is more associated with a bear; and paper bears do not exist,” Peskov said.

On Sept. 23, after meeting with Zelenskyy in New York during the UN General Assembly, Trump called Russia’s involvement in the Ukrainian conflict “pointless” and noted that Russia’s economy is in “a terrible state.”