By VOLODYMYR YURCHUK and ALEX BABENKO, Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainians were cautious Wednesday in their response to a surprise pivot in U.S. President Donald Trump’s views on their prospects for defeating Russia’s invasion, after he said they could win the three-year war and retake land captured by Moscow.

Russian officials, meanwhile, said developments on the battlefield showed Ukraine is unable to reclaim the occupied territory and dismissed Trump’s description of Russia as a “paper tiger.”

“Russia isn’t a tiger, it’s more associated with a bear,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “There are no paper bears. Russia is a real bear.”

Wary Ukrainians hope for solid US support

Some Ukrainians expressed hope that Trump’s words would be backed up by concrete support for Ukraine in Washington, while others were wary about the American president’s unpredictability.

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“We need such support from America, from Donald Trump, and we hope that this will continue in the future — the same rhetoric, the same attitude toward us, toward Ukraine, and toward the war in Ukraine,” Olha Voronina, a 66-year-old Kyiv resident, said.

Volodymyr Cheslavskyi, a 48-year-old soldier recovering from a war wound, said he considered Trump to be more interested in making money than helping Ukraine, and kept people guessing about his true intentions with contradictory statements.

“He can say different things each time — he supports Ukraine, or he does not support Ukraine,” Cheslavskyi told The Associated Press in St. Michael’s Square in the Ukrainian capital.

Anna Khudimova, 43, said she believed her country’s armed forces could prevail on the battlefield against Russia’s bigger army.

“But we cannot do it without the help of NATO, without the support of Europe,” she said. “If Trump influences the situation, then perhaps this can be realistic.”

Russia has occupied around 20% of Ukraine since it annexed Crimea in 2014. The all-out invasion began in February 2022.

US, Ukraine eye joint weapons production

In comments Tuesday at the United Nations and on social media, Trump took a swipe at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s leadership, made cutting remarks about Russia’s military prowess and derided the Russian economy’s performance. He also said NATO countries should shoot down Russian warplanes entering their airspace, as happened recently in Estonia.

Trump’s comments were an unanticipated departure from his previous positions on the war, when he has been publicly cool, even at times hostile, toward Ukraine and apparently more amenable to Putin.

After taking office in January, Trump reversed the three-year U.S. policy of isolating Russia when he called Putin. He has also ruled out the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO, has said Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would need to negotiate swapping land in return for a peace deal with Moscow, and on social media called Zelenskyy “a dictator without elections.”

A senior Ukrainian lawmaker said Trump’s latest remarks were unexpected but important.

“What remains important to us is not only Trump’s words, but also whether he fulfills the earlier promises regarding decisive sanctions” on Russia, Oleksandr Merezhko, chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, told the AP.

The United States and Ukraine signed earlier this year a deal granting Washington access to the country’s critical minerals and other natural resources. Another agreement is in the works, with a Ukrainian delegation due in Washington next week for talks on joint weapons production, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the U.S. Olha Stefanishyna said Wednesday.

The potential deal focuses on drone manufacturing, where Ukraine is at the cutting edge of new battle-tested technology, and was discussed “in quite some detail” between Trump and Zelenskyy on Tuesday, she said.

Kremlin says it is protecting Russia’s security

Zelenskyy and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov were due to address the U.N. General Assembly later Wednesday.

Trump said on social media Tuesday that, “With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original Borders from where this War started, is very much an option.”

Russia’s state television channels cast Trump’s comments as part of his efforts to shift the burden of dealing with the conflict to Europe and encourage it to buy more American weapons.

Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, challenged Trump’s comment that “Russia has been fighting aimlessly.”

Moscow has been fighting to “ensure our security and our interests and remove the root causes of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine … linked to the refusal by the previous American administrations and the Europeans to take our concerns into account,” Peskov said Wednesday.

He also countered Trump’s description of Russia’s economic woes, arguing that despite some problems the Russian economy has remained strong.

Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president who serves as deputy head of the Security Council chaired by Putin, scoffed at Trump’s comments as an “alternative reality.” He predicted that Trump could change his mind again soon.

Associated Press writer Hanna Arhirova contributed to this report.

By KEN MORITSUGU and JAMEY KEATEN, Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — China has said it would no longer seek the special treatment given to developing countries in World Trade Organization agreements — a change long demanded by the United States.

Commerce Ministry officials said Wednesday the move was an attempt to boost the global trading system at a time when it is under threat from tariff wars and protectionist moves by individual countries to restrict imports.

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It was not clear whether the announcement would lead to greater access for foreign goods to China’s vast market. The U.S. and many European countries have long complained about barriers to their exports. The change affects only ongoing and future negotiations, not existing agreements.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang announced the change in a speech in New York on Tuesday to a China-organized development forum at the annual meeting of the U.N. General Assembly.

Chinese officials said Beijing’s decision was voluntary and not meant to suggest that other developing countries should follow suit.

“It’s China’s own decision,” China’s top envoy to the WTO, Li Yihong, told reporters in Geneva.

The WTO’s “special and differential treatment” provisions give some developing countries longer time spans to implement trade agreements, can lead to technical assistance from abroad and offer exceptions to some rules that richer countries abide by.

China is a middle-income country, and government officials emphasized that it remains part of the developing world. The U.S. has long argued China should give up the developing-country status because it is the world’s second-largest economy.

China “will always be a developing country,” Li said. “It’s very clear that the issue of developing member status and the special and differential treatment are related but distinct.”

Increasingly, though, China has become a source of loans and technical assistance to other countries seeking to build roads, railways, dams and other major projects, often undertaken by major Chinese state-owned companies.

The WTO says it doesn’t officially distinguish between developed and developing countries, but some nations self-identify as developing.

Chinese officials, in their statements, did not mention the United States by name or President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs on many other countries this year, including China.

The WTO, which counts 166 countries as members, provides a forum for global trade talks and enforces agreements but has become less effective, prompting calls for reform.

The head of the Geneva-based organization described the Chinese move as “major news key to WTO reform” and applauded and thanked the country’s leaders in a post on X.

“This is a culmination of many years of hard work,” wrote Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the WTO director-general.

Keaten reported from Geneva.

By MARCIA DUNN, Associated Space Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A cluster of space weather satellites blasted off Wednesday morning to cast fresh eyes on solar storms that can produce stunning auroras but also scramble communications and threaten astronauts in flight.

The three satellites soared from Kennedy Space Center shortly after sunrise on the same SpaceX rocket. They aimed for a sun-orbiting lookout 1 million miles from Earth, each on its own separate mission.

Altogether, the satellites from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, plus related costs, are worth about $1.6 billion. NASA’s Joe Westlake calls it “the ultimate cosmic carpool” by sharing a rocket to save money.

Heading the lineup is NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, the first to be deployed. It will scrutinize the outer limits of the heliosphere, the protective, solar wind-driven bubble of gas around our solar system.

This image provided by NASA in September 2025 depicts from left, NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) satellite. (NASA via AP)

As a bonus, IMAP will be capable of providing advance notice of solar storms — a valuable 30-minute heads-up — for astronauts exploring the moon under NASA’s Artemis program. Officials expect the observatory to be fully operational by the time four astronauts fly around the moon and back next year.

NASA’s smaller Carruthers Geocorona Observatory also is flying, focusing on Earth’s outermost, glowing atmosphere that extends well beyond the moon. It’s named after the late scientist George Carruthers, who invented the ultraviolet telescope left on the moon by the Apollo 16 astronauts in 1972.

NOAA’s newest space weather observatory will be pushed into full-time, around-the-clock forecasting service. It will keep tab on the sun’s activity and measure the solar wind to help keep Earth safe from threatening flares.

Officials expect NASA’s satellites to be in position and operational by the beginning of next year, and NOAA’s spacecraft by spring.

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NASA is kicking in more than $879 million for its two missions, while NOAA’s share is $693 million.

While NASA already has a fleet of sun-observing spacecraft, science mission chief Nicky Fox said these newer missions offer more advanced instruments that will provide more sensitive measurements.

“Just being able to put all those together to give us a much, much better view of the sun,” she said.

The goal is to better understand the sun in order to better protect Earth, according to officials. As spectacular as they are, the northern and southern lights will not be the missions’ focus.

During a preview of NASA’s upcoming Artemis mission around the moon, science officials said Tuesday that these new space weather missions will enhance forecasting and provide vital alerts if major solar activity strikes. If that happens, the four astronauts will take temporary shelter in a storage area under the capsule’s floor to avoid the heightened radiation levels.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jimmy Kimmel made an emotional return to his late-night show Tuesday night after a nearly weeklong suspension for remarks he made after conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing.

For 16 minutes, Kimmel mixed humor, pointed messages and emotion to talk about his suspension, the support he’s received and praised Kirk’s widow.

Here are seven key moments from his opening monologue, edited for clarity and brevity.

Kimmel talks about the support he’s received

“I’m not sure who had a weirder 48 hours. Me or the CEO of Tylenol. So it’s been overwhelming. I’ve heard from a lot of people over the last six days. I’ve heard from all the people in the world over the last six days, everyone I have ever met has reached out 10 or 11 times.

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Weird characters from my past are emai— the guy who fired me from my first radio job in Seattle — where we are not airing tonight by the way — Sorry, Seattle. His name is Larry. In 1989, Larry tried to force me to do a bit called jokes for donuts, where people would call in with a joke and I would give them donuts. I refused to do it. And then I made a lot of fun of Larry for suggesting it. And eventually Larry fired me and I had to move back in with my parents. But even he wrote in to cheer me up. Thank you Larry, and I want to thank everyone who checked in on the show.

Some that I do especially want to mention are my fellow late night talk show hosts, my friend Stephen Colbert. He’s found himself in this predicament. My friends Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver, Conan O’Brien, James Corden, Arsenio, Kathy, Wanda, Chelsea, even Jay (Leno) reached out. I heard from late-night hosts in other countries, from Ireland and from Germany. The guy in Germany offered me a job.

Can you imagine?

This country has become so authoritarian, the Germans are like, “Come here. Cut loose.” My boyhood idols, Howard Stern and David Letterman, were very considerate and kind and I feel honored to be part of a group of people that knows what goes into doing a show like this. And I also want to thank all of you — I do — who supported our show, cared enough to do something about it, to make your voices heard so that mine could be heard. I will never forget it.”

Kimmel on support from surprising places

Kimmel: “And maybe, weirdly, maybe, most of all, I want to thank the people who don’t support my show and what I believe, but support my right to share those beliefs anyway. I never would have imagined if, like Ben Shapiro, Clay Travis, Candace Owens, Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul, even my old pal Ted Cruz who believe it or not, said something very beautiful on my behalf.

Ted Cruz clip: “I hate what Jimmy Kimmel said. I am thrilled that he was fired.”

Kimmel: “Oh, wait, no, not that — the other part.”

Ted Cruz clip: “But let me tell you, if the government gets in the business of saying (crosstalk) what you can and can’t say what you the media have said, we’re going to ban you from the airwaves if you don’t say what we like, that will end up bad for conservatives.”

Kimmel: “I don’t think I’ve ever said this before, but Ted Cruz is right. He’s absolutely right. This affects all of us, including him. I mean, think about it. If Ted Cruz can’t speak freely, then he can’t cast spells on the Smurfs.

Even though I don’t agree with many of those people on most subjects, some of the things they say even make me want to throw up. It takes courage for them to speak out against this administration. They did, and they deserve credit for it. And thank for telling your followers that our government cannot be allowed to control what we do and do not say on television, and that we have to stand up to it. “

Kimmel talks about Charlie Kirk

“I posted a message on Instagram on the day he was killed, sending love to his family and asking for compassion. And I meant it. I still do. Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what, it was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make.

But I understand that to some that felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both. And for those who think I did, point a finger, I get why you’re upset. If the situation was reversed, there’s a good chance I’d have felt the same way.

I have many friends and family members on the other side who I love and remain close to, even though we don’t agree on politics at all. I don’t think the murderer who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone. This was a sick person who believed violence was a solution. And it isn’t ever.

And also, selfishly, I am, I am a person who gets a lot of threats. I get many ugly and scary threats against my life, my wife, my kids, my coworkers because of what I choose to say. And I know those threats don’t come from the kind of people on the right who I know and love. So that’s what I wanted to say on that subject. “

Kimmel on the FCC and chairman Brendan Carr

“I want you to think about this: Should the government be allowed to regulate which podcasts the cell phone companies and Wi-Fi providers are allowed to let you download to make sure they serve the public interest? You think that sounds crazy, but 10 years ago, this sounded crazy, Brendan Carr, the chairman of the FCC, telling an American company, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, and that these companies can find ways to change, conduct and take action on Kimmel or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.

In addition to being a direct violation of the First Amendment, is not a particularly intelligent threat to make in public. Ted Cruz said he sounded like a mafioso. Although I don’t know, if you want to hear a mob boss make a threat like that, you have to hide a microphone in a deli and park outside in a van with a tape recorder all night long. This genius said it on a podcast.

Kimmel says Trump has boosted ratings

“You almost have to feel sorry for him. He tried, did his best to cancel me. Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show. That backfired bigly. He might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this now. ”

ABC’s ‘condition’ for Kimmel returning and the host’s gratitude

“I know a lot of people have been asking me if there are conditions for my return to the air, and there is one. Disney has asked me to read the following statement, and, I have agreed to do it.

Here we go: To reactivate your Disney+ and Hulu account, open the Disney+ app on your smart TV or TV connected device. (laughter)

I’ve been, um, fortunate to work at a company that has allowed me to do the show the way we want to do it for almost 23 years. I’ve done almost 4,000 shows on ABC. And over that time, the people who run this network have allowed me to evolve and to stretch the boundaries of what was once traditional for a late night talk show, even when it made them uncomfortable, which I do a lot.

Every night, they’ve defended my right to poke fun at our leaders and to advocate for subjects that I think are important by allowing me to use their platform. And I am very grateful for that. With that said, I was not happy when they pulled me off the air on. I did not agree with that decision and I told them that and we had many conversations. I shared my point of view. They shared theirs. We talked it through and at the end, even though they didn’t have to, they really didn’t have to. This is a giant company. We have short attention spans, and I am a tiny part of the Disney Corporation. They welcomed me back on the air and I thank them for that. But unfortunately, and I think unjustly, this puts them at risk.”

Kimmel says to follow Erika Kirk’s example of forgiveness

“There was a moment over the weekend, a very beautiful moment. I don’t know if you saw this. On Sunday, Erika Kirk forgave the man who shot her husband. She forgave him. That is an example we should follow.

If you believe in the teachings of Jesus as I do, there it was. That’s, that’s it. A selfless act of grace, forgiveness from a grieving widow. It touched me deeply. And I hope it touches many. And if there’s anything we should take from this tragedy to carry forward, I hope it can be that.”