The Kremlin on Wednesday brushed off a comment by President Donald Trump describing Russia as a "paper tiger," and said President Vladimir Putin valued his efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia was a bear, not a tiger, and "there is no such thing as a paper bear."

Trump said on Tuesday that he believed Ukraine could retake all of the territory captured by Russia and that Kyiv should act now, with Moscow facing "big" economic problems. His comments marked a sudden and striking rhetorical shift in Ukraine's favor.

Peskov, responding in a radio interview to Trump's comments, said the Russian army was advancing in Ukraine and the dynamics on the front line were obvious.

He said that the stability of the Russian economy was ensured.