As Donald Trump triumphs in the U.S. presidential election, Ukrainians brace themselves for what it means for their nation.
Throughout the campaign, Trump has repeatedly said he would end Russia’s war against Ukraine “in 24 hours.” He said that he would push Ukraine and Russia to negotiate a peace deal. He has also refused to say he wanted Ukraine to win.
Trump’s victory also comes at an especially precarious moment in the war, when Russian troops advance swiftly in Donetsk Oblast.
What we know about Trump’s plans for ending Russia’s war against Ukraine
Trump has repeatedly said he could end Russia’s war “in 24 hours.” What is his plan?
The Kyiv Independent went to the streets of Kyiv to ask Ukrainians what they expect from Trump’s return to the White House.
Oleksandr Bondarenko, 50, bank employee
“This is the choice of the American people. We’re a foreign country, so we don’t have the right to say whether it’s right or wrong. How it will impact Ukraine — well, time will tell. Let’s be honest — this is high-level politics, and, unfortunately, we aren’t a major player in this world.
I think Trump will take steps, as he promised to bring it (the full-scale invasion) to an end. He’ll try to achieve a quick resolution. And, as far as I know, Trump has this tendency to compare himself to (Joe) Biden, to look at what Biden has done. In any case, he’ll want to make his mark in U.S. history by showing, ‘I did more.’
He promised to act, and he will. Most likely, there will be (peace) negotiations. I think, in any case, it will be better for Ukraine. He’ll have some positive steps, in any case.
He is the president of a great country. Whatever his opponents say, or other opposition, this is a great country with great people. And this is their choice. He’ll likely be a significant president. With all due respect, their elections are more democratic than we have here.
He likes his own country, America, more. He’s focused on his country. That’s the main thing. Essentially, it’s normal behavior for any president. He should first consider his country’s interests, then external ones.”
Iryna Zavorotnia, 56, mother of a soldier in Russian captivity
“My child has been in captivity for 30 months. It’s all very painful. Of course, we hope and want more support from the West so that people aren’t indifferent to our common war.
Naturally, the elections in the U.S. are important to me. I truly want more support from international organizations, so we can achieve victory. I’ve read some of his (Trump’s) campaign promises and I am not entirely satisfied with them.
The only thing I can say is that he says the war will end — but how? In what way will it end? I can’t say. Right now, my priority is my son and his release from captivity, along with his fellow soldiers.
I wish at least the International Committee of the Red Cross could access our POWs and that some third-party influence could push this organization. But nothing is being done anywhere, everyone is indifferent.
I desperately want us to win… Trump says he’ll ensure the war ends. Maybe it will happen.
But we must preserve the country’s integrity. Soldiers are not sacrificing their lives and defending our country for nothing.”
Sofia Moroz, 17, biology student
“I saw a very interesting chart showing that the level of people’s education in the States aligns with their choice of president. The less educated people are in a certain state, the more they vote for Trump. So, I’m not sure what to think about this because, based on the information space, it seemed like many people would vote for Kamala (Harris).
This morning, I was rather unpleasantly surprised. Trump, as a person, won’t support Ukraine, and he has too many friendly ties with Putin. So, it immediately became clear that he wouldn’t help us in the war.
I don’t know if it’s right to say this, but his relations with the Russian president are better than with the Ukrainian one.
(Ending the war in Ukraine) would be hard to make this a reality because the war isn’t only fought on military grounds and in the information space. In the information space, you can’t stop it in just one day because it’s everywhere — in social networks, in various groups — and it’s impossible to bring everyone up to speed at once.
I suppose we’ll wait and see how it plays out in the coming days, as these days are crucial in shaping people’s opinions, and the noise will be high, so we’ll see. Most of my friends aren’t happy with this turn of events.”
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Tamara Shevchenko, 67, mother of a soldier
“If he (Trump) is going to help Ukraine in this war, I fully support that. But he speaks so vaguely that it’s hard to understand. One moment he seems like he wants to help, then he’s against it — I just can’t make sense of it. I’m all for the entire world supporting us so we can end this war as quickly as possible and stop losing our men out there.
(If Trump would force Ukraine to make territorial concessions to end the war, it would be) horrible. That must not happen.
They’ve already taken Voronezh, Kursk, and even Kuban — these were once our lands. They took them in 1917. Now they’re encroaching on our lands again. This can’t be allowed. Crimea is ours. It needs to be liberated.
Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol — all our lands. They need to be part of Ukraine.”
Dmytro Lapko, 17, engineering student
“It happens. We don’t know what the outcome would have been if Kamala (Harris) had won; who would have helped us more. Everything is uncertain. We don’t get much help anyway. The main thing is that they don’t start interfering.
Maybe something will come to Trump’s mind, and he will start helping (Ukraine) more. Who knows? Maybe we’ll be lucky, maybe not.
I suspect that he likes different things at different periods of his life. I am sure that at some point, he may like Russia more. It’s hard to say what’s going on in his head.
It used to be difficult to say what our future would be. Now, I don’t think it will change dramatically. There is a small chance that we will get more aid. But it is so small that I don’t think our prospects will change much.”
Dmytro, 17, college student
“My attitude is neutral. I believe that Ukraine will be able to survive no matter who wins. I think Trump’s victory may even be good for us, although it is hard to say. In my opinion, it will be a lottery. It can get much better, or it can get much worse.
It is difficult to answer (what is Trump’s attitude towards Ukraine). We need to analyze the worst-case scenario — either you freeze the war and leave the territories (to Russia), or you simply won’t be given weapons. For us, this is the most difficult option. But I hope that there will still be support from the U.S., and it will be even bigger.
Will Trump be able to settle (the war) as quickly as he wants? I’m sure he won’t.”
Oksana, 21, lawyer
“Can I swear here? We are f*cked like the Poles in 1939.
I would really like to believe that Donald Trump is an unpredictable person, and we will not know what his deepest intentions are regarding Ukraine until the very last moment. And that we have a chance, and that arms supplies at least won’t decrease, or may even increase. But unfortunately, we should prepare for the worst-case scenario — the freezing of the conflict and its recurrence in a number of years.
You have to go on living as long as you can, as long as you can do it in Kyiv. And then we will see.
I’d like to think that our Western partners will realize that we can’t rely on America anymore and will increase their military aid.
I think our diplomats will have to work harder to explain that there is no way to ‘resolve’ this war. The only possible way out is a Ukrainian victory. The question is, what will be the price?”
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