Facing an uncertain fate under Trump, Ukraine appeals to his ‘power’ via Reuters
Written by Anastasia Malenko
KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine appealed to Donald Trump as a strong leader on Wednesday in the hope of persuading the American president who returned from the United States not to abandon his goal of fighting for peace with Russia.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was among the first world leaders to congratulate Trump, who criticized the level of US military and financial support for Kyiv and vowed to quickly end the war with Russia, without saying how.
In a message released shortly after Trump claimed victory, Zelenskiy said he was looking forward to “an era of a strong United States of America under the strong leadership of President Trump”.
“I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to a ‘peace with strength’ approach to world affairs,” Zelenskiy wrote. “This is the very policy that can bring peace to Ukraine. I hope we will implement it together.”
The Ukrainian president later said, in a post on X, that he called Trump to congratulate him and promised to work with him.
“We agreed to maintain dialogue and further our cooperation,” Zelenskiy wrote. “Strong and unwavering US leadership is essential to a just world and peace.”
Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris raises questions about future US aid, which has been key to Ukraine’s survival against a bigger and better-armed enemy.
It has been another bitter winter as Russian forces have been advancing at a rapid pace since Ukraine began withdrawing its offensive on the outskirts of Kyiv in early 2022. Ukraine, on the other hand, launched its first major attack on Russian territory.
Any new effort to end the war is likely to involve peace talks of some kind, which have not been held since the early months of the war.
Moscow’s forces occupy almost a fifth of Ukraine. Russia says the war will not end until its annexes are accepted. Kyiv wants all of its territory returned, a position largely supported by Western allies under the outgoing US administration of Joe Biden.
SILENCE ‘FOR CERTAIN ADMISSIONS’
Volodymyr Fesenko, a Ukrainian political analyst, said Trump was likely to push ahead with immediate talks to end the war, which could involve “some compromise” with Russia. But he said he expected Washington would not be able to comply with Moscow’s demands.
“I don’t think Trump can agree to peace only on Russia’s terms, as this will look like a defeat for the US, and his advisers understand this,” he said.
Ukrainian sovereign bonds were up nearly 2 cents in early European trade on Wednesday, with investors saying the market expected a quick end to the war now that Trump has won it.
As Ukraine’s main military backer, the US has sent tens of billions of dollars in arms, and led international efforts to isolate Moscow through diplomatic and financial sanctions.
But Ukraine has also expressed frustration over delays in approving missiles, tanks, planes and other weapons by the Biden administration, whose fear of escalation led to a narrow path that critics say gave Moscow time to recover from the initial setback.
Recently, Ukraine has asked the West to lift restrictions on the use of missiles to attack deep into Russia, which Kyiv says is necessary to deter Russian long-range attacks.
Yaroslav Zheleznyak, a lawyer for the opposition party Holos, said on Telegram that the transition until Trump takes office in January would be an “opportunity” for Biden to take “bold steps”.
Representative Oleksandra Ustinova, who heads the parliament’s arms and weapons commission, said Trump’s choice of top diplomats, security and defense positions will be key in determining the Trump administration’s impact on the military.
“These are the people who will decide the fate of Ukraine,” Ustinova told Reuters. “Right now, it’s very likely that Mike Pompeo will be secretary of defense, and he’s a great friend of Ukraine.”
“Yes, everyone is worried when any change happens. On the other hand, we understand that this was the expected result and we have been working with both parties,” he added.
Residents of Kyiv, under constant drone and missile attacks from the Russian military and facing a winter of power shortages, were eager to hear how Trump would end the war.
“I think we are all waiting for the end of the war – to stop the war, and since Trump promised to stop the war in just one day, we are all waiting for it,” Oleksii Iarokha, 41, said.
“It could be today, tomorrow, we could wait until Friday. You’re the president, please do it, Mr. Trump.”
Others speculated how Trump’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a Republican who has avoided much criticism, might affect the new U.S. policy toward Ukraine.
“On the one hand, one might think that he can influence in some way,” said Putin, said Iryna Dvirna, 21. “On the other hand, they say they have a very close relationship, and maybe Trump will not put so much pressure on Putin to change anything.”
