Donald Trump’s victory in US presidential elections has sparked anxiety on the streets of Kyiv and Kharkiv at a decisive moment of the war as Ukrainian defences buckle under mounting Russian pressure.
Ukraine is reliant on foreign military aid — in particular from Washington — to hold out against Russia’s invasion, launched nearly three years ago, and it is appealing for closer integration with the US-led NATO military alliance.
Natalia Pichakchi, who fled the southern city of Mariupol that is now controlled by Russian forces after a brutal siege in 2022, said she expected that crucial aid would begin to dry up.
“It’s worrying. It’s disturbing,” she told AFP.
“Something will change; there will not be the same kind of support as before,” she added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky quickly congratulated Trump on his “impressive victory” saying he hoped his presidency would bring “just peace in Ukraine closer”.
Trump’s aides, however, have suggested forcing Ukraine into territorial concessions by conditioning US assistance.
“I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs,” Zelensky wrote on social media.
“This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer.”
‘Wait and see’
Trump, whose running mate JD Vance said he does not care about the fate of Ukraine, has boasted that he can quickly end the Ukraine war.
In Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, which lies near the Russian border and has been under persistent aerial bombardment, some residents said Trump’s previous statements meant little.
“He is an ambiguous person. Today he says that he is friends with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and tomorrow he says he is ready to help Ukraine end this war,” said Yulia Boyko, a student.
“So we will see what happens next,” she told AFP.
“He’s an unpredictable person. And that’s why I think anything can happen. For Ukraine, it will depend on how he communicates with Putin,” said Dmytro, another Kharkiv resident who declined to give his last name.
Behind closed doors, some Ukrainian officials have nonetheless been optimistic about a Trump presidency and have advocated a wait-and-see-approach.
Foreign minister Andriy Sybiga said Zelensky and Trump had a “long-standing” and “constructive” dialogue.
“We will work together to strengthen the Ukraine-US strategic partnership and bring a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace closer,” Sybiga wrote on social media.
That cautious optimism was echoed on the streets of Kyiv by Tetiana Podleska, who works in IT and speculated that future US support for Ukraine did not hinge entirely on who was president.
‘Support could decrease’
“I think his role is a bit exaggerated, that he will drastically change something for the worse,” she said, conceding however that Trump was unlikely to improve Ukraine’s position in the conflict.
“It won’t change for the better, that’s for sure. But I don’t think it will stop completely,” she added, referring to American backing.
Olga Prykhodko, a teacher in Kyiv, said the election results underscored that Ukraine had to make even greater efforts at home to make sure it could prevail in the war.
“Because our lives and our country’s future is in our hands,” she said.
Yet she was still hoping that Ukraine’s allies abroad would make good on promises to stand by the war-battered country.
“I’m concerned that support could decrease, but I hope that reason and democratic principles will prevail,” she told AFP.
Igor Stryzheus, a 52-year-old resident of the Ukrainian capital, was less upbeat about the outlook for Ukraine with Trump in the White House.
“It worries everyone. It worries the whole world — not only Ukraine,” he told AFP in central Kyiv.
“We’ll have to wait and see what happens next,” he added.
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