"They’re Defeated": Trump Claims Ukraine’s Navy is Underwater in Bizarre Mix-Up
During a press briefing at NASA, President Trump appeared to confuse the statistics of the war in Iran with the war in Ukraine, claiming the latter is militarily defeated.
President Donald Trump caused a stir during a White House event at NASA on Wednesday when he appeared to mix up key details regarding the wars in Ukraine and Iran. When asked by a CNN reporter which war he believed would end first, the President suggested both are on a similar timeline but then delivered a series of controversial statistics regarding Ukraine’s military status. "I think Ukraine, militarily, they’re defeated," Trump said, before listing figures that experts noted were actually more reflective of recent strikes against Iranian infrastructure.
The President claimed that "they had 159 ships, and every ship is underwater," and added that "every one of their planes has been shot down." While Ukraine’s navy has suffered losses, it never possessed 159 major warships, a number that more closely aligns with intelligence reports regarding the Iranian naval blockade. Trump continued by stating that 82% of the enemy's missiles are gone and that most of their drones and factories have been destroyed. He also referenced a collapse of the enemy's economy and "inflation like no one has ever seen," traits currently associated with the heavily sanctioned Iranian regime.
Trump further claimed that the US is now equipped with special weapons that can shoot down drones for "thousands of dollars instead of millions," a reference to new laser-based defense systems being tested in the Middle East. He noted that while some "light equipment" might have been brought in during the recent ceasefire, the US military knows "exactly where it is." In a characteristic flourish, he warned that any new equipment would be "destroyed within the last 15 minutes" of the war.
Despite the apparent confusion between the two fronts, the President’s remarks signaled a confident and aggressive stance toward America's adversaries. He concluded by mentioning that he had recently spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin. While the mix-up of statistics raised eyebrows in Washington, the White House maintained that the President remains fully focused on ending both wars through a combination of economic pressure and overwhelming military technological superiority.