“Unfortunately, asset “For us, it’s a lottery without prizes,” said Stas, a 21-year-old Ukrainian who works as a teleoperator in kyiv. “We can expect anything from him, but I absolutely don’t think he will help us return to the 1991 borders. It’s just a dream.”
“Statistics show that 75% of the election promises he made in 2016 turned out to be completely false. And he may be a determined and fiery person, but he is not the only one to decide, many Republicans have a pro-Ukrainian position and are ready to support us,” he adds.
The fact that a 21-year-old knows the statistics from Trump’s previous presidential term and speaks fluently about the workings of the American political system reflects the degree of disquiet that there was in Ukrainian society before the elections that ultimately gave him victory. to the tycoon. Ukrainians have probably read more about Donald Trump than most American citizens who voted for him again at the polls.
But Even the most widely read don’t draw clear conclusions these dayswhere the boulevards of kyiv seem calmer than usual and in the city metro the faces seem more serious than usual. Uncertainty marks every testimony collected at street level.
And although the war did not end this week because of the elections, Ukrainian citizens feel that the votes that took place more than 9,000 miles away could doom their future. They had already felt this for months, like a sort of sword of Damocles that could fall on them in the event of the Republican candidate’s victory. That’s ultimately what happened, and now most don’t know what to expect.
Flags and portraits placed on Maidan Square (Kyiv) commemorate those who fell during the war in Ukraine.
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win or die
“When I heard about Trump’s victory, the first thing I thought was that we are entering a new stage for Ukraine: a new phase of instability, which can be very good or very bad. That was my first thought,” says Olexii, an IT worker from kyiv who has resisted here, with his entire family, since the start of the large-scale Russian invasion.
“I’m simplifying a lot, but I think there could be two diametrically opposed scenarios: we can win in a month or we can all die here,” he adds, referring to the remaining 45 days of the outgoing president’s mandate. . Joe Bidenunder which it could accelerate the delivery of military aid to Ukraine and – more importantly – give kyiv the green light to use long-range weapons against targets on Russian soil.
Olexii is not the only one who sees the use of these long-range missiles as the last hope for his country not to disappear – at least as it was before 2022. Ukraine’s military leadership is also convinced that the possibility of destroying Russian strategic military objectives beyond Belgorod would make it possible to reverse the situation at that time.
After two Ukrainian attacks – with unmanned vehicles – in the Russian regions of Belgorod, Kursk and Brianks, the Kremlin delayed the positions from which the planes which bomb Ukraine take off daily. And the majority of officers believe that by destroying this problem at the source, they would bring oxygen to the combat fronts as well as to the cities.
For months, Russia has intensified the intensity of its attacks against Ukraine. At the beginning of the year, The UN already warned that bombings had increased by 20%And currently, every 25 minutes, Russia launches a Shahed-type suicide drone – loaded with up to 50 kilos of explosives – against Ukrainian cities. To this must be added the missiles and hovering bombs which wreak havoc.
But the situation on the combat fronts is also terribly complicated for Ukraine today. The mobilization law did not produce the expected results and at least 160,000 additional soldiers would be needed to be able to relieve and maintain the lines.
Demonstration in Kyiv for Ukrainian prisoners tortured in Russian custody.
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Hundreds of thousands of armed soldiers
“I believe that this war will now reach another level and will be even more difficult for us; But what I don’t know is how society will react if it tells us that the capitulation will finally be signed and the conquered territories will be returned. “Why the hell were all these lives lost then?” asks Bohdan, a forest ranger.
The idea that the tens of thousands of deaths – fallen on the front lines or crushed in the rubble of Russian bombings – were in vain deeply upsets most Ukrainians. At this stage of the war There is no longer a single citizen who has not lost a father, a boyfriend, a grandmother or a friend under Russian fire..
And there are also tens of thousands of people who have a loved one missing in action or a prisoner of war in the custody of Russia, which systematically tortures captured Ukrainians – as confirmed by the testimonies of those who were exchanged and was able to return. living in captivity. And the question many are asking is whether the United States will now ignore them all, as it already did in Afghanistan.
“Above all, the United States cannot lose; and the loss of Ukraine would mean the collapse of the United States as a world leader. If he withdraws, what image will he give to China in the face of the conflict with Taiwan? » asks Vladimir, a veteran wounded on the Bakhmut front, while serving in the 92nd brigade.
This veteran goes further and declares that “Trump is Jewish and a businessman, and therefore he is very astute. I think he will first lower the price of oil to put pressure on Putin.” But what is clear is that Ukrainian capitulation, ceding the occupied territories to Russia, would have disastrous consequences for the country.
“There would be a civil war in Ukraine and therefore the problem would not be resolved. On the contrary, everything would get worse. Several hundred thousand Ukrainian soldiers will oppose a capitulation under these conditions, and that is a great force,” he emphasizes, referring to the fighters who now have great military experience – and who are armed up to to the teeth.
“When your home or family is taken away from you, you have nothing to lose, and people who have nothing to lose with guns in their hands are a force to be reckoned with”he concludes, also hinting at the idea that all the Ukrainian deaths could not have been for nothing.
Ukrainian soldiers deployed to the Chasiv Yar combat front in Donbass.
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Ukrainian soldiers deployed to the Chasiv Yar combat front in Donbass.
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Join NATO
“The first thing I felt when I learned of Trump’s victory on Wednesday was pity. I remembered his statements about the war ending in 24 hours and what that meant, and I thought about all the people who died only to sign capitulations and find themselves in the same situation as when we started fighting in 2022,” says Liudmila, who works as an interpreter.
“We also think a lot about the consequences of stopping now and the fact that in a few years, when Trump is no longer president and will not guarantee anything, Russia will invade us again in an even stronger way,” he continues. “It seems that it is already a tradition in the life of Ukrainians: all generations have to fight with the Russians because they cannot leave us alone,” he laments.
“I hope everyone understands the importance of giving Ukraine as much security as possible by letting it join NATO”adds the interpreter, who recognizes that military and financial aid has been very important, but not sufficient.
Since February 2022, the United States has provided more than $64.1 billion in military assistance to Ukraine. 40% of the total received by Zelensky’s country. Anti-aircraft defense systems, cannons, armored vehicles, projectiles, munitions of all kinds… The list is endless.
But many today criticize the fact that all these weapons were enough to contain the Russian assault, but not to expel them from their country. Something which, they claim, could have been achieved with an adequate delivery of weapons as “they had plenty of men and courage during the early years of the war”.
popular support
Rostislav is the founder of the NGO “Kharkiv Mission”, which provides oncological drugs to cancer patients in the midst of war. His point of view is very pragmatic, and analyzes more the personality of the 47th president in the history of the United States than the threatening speech he always made against kyiv:
“Trump’s direct style could bring Putin and Zelensky to the negotiating table. This could force Putin to halt the invasion and prepare to negotiate under the threat of providing Ukraine with all necessary military support, without limits on the delivery of weapons, if he does not do so. And Zelensky could be forced, under threat of paralyzing all aid.”
“But I do not foresee an immediate ceasefire, although many people in Ukraine would like one. Zelensky, politically, cannot afford to respond quickly to a ceasefire request without risking losing popular support. You will need time to assess the situation without compromising public confidence. Regardless, in Ukraine there is widespread skepticism that there will be lasting peace as long as the Kremlin is under Putin’s leadership,” he says.
Between one thing and another, the wounds that the Ukrainians have currently opened are too deep for them to heal in 24 hours, as Trump promised. And the majority of people in this country believe that the conflict is still far from over because, even if it capitulates now, peace will not return to Ukraine if it gives in to Russia’s demands.
