There is one place, on kyiv’s Independence Square, where some passers-by stop more than in other places to take a photo, look for a name, or cry silently. Here, in the center of the Ukrainian capital, where the crucial moments of the country’s political life took place, now stands a monument commemorating the beginning of the Russian invasion. The space, located near a subway exit, is covered with Ukrainian flags planted in the ground for everyone to see. “hero” having lost his life defending the country. There are thousands and thousands of them.
On Wednesday, November 6, at the end of the day, a few hours after the announcement of Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election, Oleh, 52, lights candles in front of the monument. The election result did not dissuade him for a moment from skipping this daily ritual. “Every day I come here”, – confesses this father of two daughters with a weathered face (who did not want to give his last name, like other interviewees), owner of a small toy store in Irpine, on the western outskirts of the capital.
Suddenly an air alert sounds. If most passersby on Khreschatyk Avenue are not paying attention, Oleh crosses himself while looking at the sky. Regarding the consequences of Donald Trump coming to power, on the other hand, he says he is not worried. Flipping through photos of her 29-year-old daughter, who joined an assault squad after the death of her soldier husband, she even says she appreciates the ” reckless “ of the president-elect. “Trump has no interest in getting rid of Ukraine, because that would show that the United States is not powerful”he continues, dismissing with a gesture the probability that the next occupant of the White House will fulfill his promises to force a peace agreement with Russia. “We don’t want peace, —Oleh blurted out. We just want victory. »
Crucial support
After a new night of Russian bombings in several regions, Ukraine woke up on Wednesday knowing the victory of the most unpredictable candidate for the country’s future. The issue was commented on in all the local media and overshadowed, for a time, the very bad news that had been coming from the Eastern Front for several months. In kyiv, however, the atmosphere seemed strangely serene in the face of this leap into the unknown.
If the Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris, had promised to continue with the military and financial aid invested by Joe Biden, Donald Trump has continued to promise a break. During his campaign, the Republican candidate assured several times that he would do everything possible, once in power, to stop the war. “in twenty-four hours”. The fear of kyiv’s allies is that a quick resolution of this war would be synonymous with territorial concessions to the benefit of Russia and an abandonment of Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO.
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