Volodymyr Zelensky was among the first to congratulate President Donald Trump on his victory in the US presidential election. Shortly after 9 a.m. German time, half an hour after Viktor Orbán but well ahead of Ursula von der Leyen and Olaf Scholz, the Ukrainian President congratulated Trump on his “impressive election victory” and immediately afterwards reminded him of a “great meeting” in September , which discussed “the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the USA, the victory plan and ways to end Russian aggression against Ukraine.”
The Ukrainian leadership is practicing practical optimism – what else can they do given the miserable situation. In October, Russia captured almost 500 square kilometers in eastern Ukraine, more than in any month since the Russian offensive began in fall 2023.
Contacts between Ukraine and the Republicans remained weak for a long time
It should be clear to Zelenskyj in particular that the new US president has no sympathy for him. In 2019, Trump tried to get Zelensky to dig up compromising information about the activities of Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s son, in Ukraine by withholding military aid. The publication of this matter led to the impeachment of Donald Trump during his first term in office.
For a long time, Zelensky’s entourage assumed that Joe Biden would have a second term in office – contacts in the Republican Party and especially with Trump’s environment remained weak. This year, Zelensky also wooed Trump voters, for example with one interview on Fox News.
Olexandr Mereshko, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Ukrainian Parliament, also tells the star: “I’m really optimistic. Trump wants to be a strong president – and that means he won’t show weakness against Putin.” Trump’s victory was no surprise to him.
However, Mereschko also sees that Ukraine is not necessarily Trump’s top priority and that he is generally one of the presidents for whom domestic policy is at the forefront. “But life sometimes forces a president to focus more on foreign policy issues,” Merezhko said. Also other see Trump’s election as an opportunity: Continuing the status quo with only limited military aid from the Biden administration had recently done little to help Ukraine. Russia has been advancing militarily for a year.
“We will have to prepare for negotiations to end the war”
“This is not the worst result,” says Kiev political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko star to consider. Much worse for Ukraine would have been a political crisis in the United States due to a political blockade by a Democratic-led White House and a Republican Congress. Fesenko believes that a President Trump poses certain risks for the Ukrainians. This would mean that the type of support for Ukraine could change: Instead of military aid, Trump could offer Ukraine to buy military equipment from the USA on credit. At the same time, direct financial aid to the Ukrainian budget could be stopped. “And we will have to prepare for the start of negotiations to end the war. Even if there will not be a quick result.”
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Trump’s announcement that he would end the war in Ukraine “within 24 hours” without explaining how he plans to achieve this is one of the biggest risks for Ukrainians. The “Financial Times” recently reported, citing those around him, that Trump was planning to “freeze” the conflict along the current front line. And what is worrying for Ukrainians is Trump’s apparently close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin: US media recently reported that Trump had spoken privately to Putin on the phone seven times since he was voted out of office in 2019.
Ihor, a soldier who has been fighting against the Russian invaders since the first week of the war and is currently on his way back to duty in the East, said star: “The dear Mr. Biden talks more than he does, and we are already fed up with him. But Trump is just a crazy person. That’s why we have to fear that he will do rash things. But we and I are particularly happy that things are moving faster decides how this war ends. Trump will decide categorically, either in our favor or not.”
