from “it’s a lottery without a prize” to “we can all die here”

“Statistics say 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 who decides, many Republicans have a pro-Ukrainian position and are willing to support us,” he adds.

The fact that a 21-year-old boy knows the statistics of Trump’s previous presidential term, and speaks fluently about the functioning of the American political system, reflects the degree of concern that there was in Ukrainian society before the elections that finally gave him victory to the tycoon. Ukrainians have probably read more about Donald Trump than many of the American citizens who voted for him again at the polls.

But Not even the most read ones draw clear conclusions these daysin which the boulevards of kyiv seem quieter than usual and in the city’s metro the faces look more serious than usual. Uncertainty marks every testimony collected at street level.

And although the war has not stopped this week due to the elections, Ukrainian citizens have the feeling that those votes that have been held more than 9,000 kilometers away could sentence their future. They had already felt this way for months, like a kind of Sword of Damocles that could fall on them if the Republican candidate was victorious. That’s finally what has happened, and now most don’t know what to expect.

win or die

“When I heard about Trump’s victory, the first thing I thought was that we were 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, a computer scientist from kyiv who has resisted here, with his entire family, since the large-scale Russian invasion began.

“I am 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 45 days left in the outgoing president’s term. Joe Bidenin which it could accelerate the delivery of military aid to Ukraine and – more importantly – give the green light for kyiv to use long-range weapons against targets located on Russian soil.

Olexii is not the only one who sees the use of these long-range missiles as the last hope so that his country does not disappear – at least as it was before 2022. The Ukrainian military leadership is also convinced that being able to shoot down strategic Russian military objectives, beyond Belgorod, would turn the war around at this 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 that bomb Ukraine take off daily. And the majority of officers think that by destroying this problem at its source, they would provide oxygen both on the combat fronts and in the cities.

Russia has increased the intensity of its attacks against Ukraine for months. At the beginning of the year, The UN already warned that bombings had increased by 20%and right now, every 25 minutes Russia launches a Shahed-type suicide drone – loaded with up to 50 kilos of explosive – against Ukrainian cities. To this we must add the missiles and gliding bombs – which are wreaking havoc.

But the situation on the combat fronts is also terribly complicated for Ukraine today. The Mobilization law has not borne the expected results, and at least 160,000 fresh soldiers are needed to be able to relieve and maintain the lines.

Hundreds of thousands of armed soldiers

“I believe that this war will go to another level from now on, and that it will be even more difficult for us; But what I don’t know is how society will react if they tell us that the capitulation will finally be signed and the captured territories will be handed over. “Why the hell have all these lives been lost then?” snaps Bohdan, a forest guard.

The idea that the tens of thousands of deaths – fallen on the front lines or crushed in the rubble of Russian bombing – have been in vain deeply upsets most Ukrainians. At this point in 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 who have a relative missing in action or a prisoner of war in the custody of Russia, which systematically tortures captured Ukrainians – as has been confirmed by the testimonies of those who have been exchanged and have been able to return alive from captivity. And the question that many are asking is whether the United States will now ignore all of them, as it already did in Afghanistan.

“First and foremost, the United States cannot lose; and the loss of Ukraine would be 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 war veteran who was wounded on the Bakhmut front, while serving in the 92nd Brigade.

This veteran goes a step further and states that “Trump is Jewish and a businessman, and therefore he is very astute. “I think, to begin with, he will lower the price of oil to put pressure on Putin.” But what is clear is that Ukrainian capitulation, handing over the occupied territories to Russia, would have disastrous consequences for the country.

“There would be a civil war inside Ukraine, and therefore the problem would not be solved. On the contrary, everything would get worse. Several hundred thousand Ukrainian soldiers will be against capitulating under these conditions, and this is a great force,” he emphasizes, alluding to the combatants who now have deep military experience – and who are armed to the teeth.

“When your home or family is taken away, 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 alluding to the idea that all the Ukrainian deaths could not have been for nothing.

Ukrainian soldiers deployed on the Chasiv Yar combat front, in Donbas.

Maria Senovilla

The Spanish

Join NATO

“The first thing I felt when I heard the news of Trump’s victory on Wednesday was pity. I remembered his statements about ending the war in 24 hours and what that means, and I thought of all the people who died to end up signing capitulations and being left the same as when we started fighting in 2022,” explains Liudmila, who works as an interpreter.

“You also think a lot about the consequences of stopping now and that in a few years, when Trump is no longer president and does not guarantee anything, Russia will invade us again in an even more forceful way,” he continues. “It seems that it is already like a tradition in the lives 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 all possible security to Ukraine by letting it join NATO”adds the interpreter, who recognizes that military and financial aid has been very important, but not enough.

Since February 2022, the United States has provided more than $64.1 billion in military assistance to Ukraine. 40% of the total that Zelensky’s country has received. Anti-aircraft defense systems, cannons, armored vehicles, projectiles, ammunition of all types… The list is endless.

But there are many who now criticize that all this weapons were enough to contain the Russian onslaught, but not to expel them from their country. Something that, they claim, could have been done with an adequate delivery of weapons because “they had plenty of men and courage during the first years of the war.”

Apoyo popular

Rostislav es el fundador de la ONG “Misión Kharkiv”, que provee medicamentos oncológicos a pacientes de cáncer en mitad de la guerra. Su punto de vista es muy pragmático, y analiza más la personalidad del presidente número 47 de la historia de Estados Unidos que el discurso amenazante que siempre ha esgrimido contra Kiev:

“El estilo directo de Trump podría sentar en la mesa de negociaciones tanto a Putin como a Zelenski. Podría forzar a Putin a que detenga la invasión y se disponga a negociar bajo la amenaza de proporcionar a Ucrania todo el apoyo militar necesario, sin límites en la entrega de armamento, si no lo hace. Y a Zelenski le podría obligar bajo la amenaza de paralizar toda ayuda”.

“Pero yo no anticipo un alto el fuego inmediato, aunque muchas personas en Ucrania lo desearían. Zelenski, desde el punto de vista político, no puede permitirse responder rápidamente a una solicitud de alto el fuego sin arriesgarse a perder el apoyo del pueblo. Necesitará tiempo para evaluar la situación sin comprometer la confianza de la población. En cualquier caso, en Ucrania existe un escepticismo generalizado hacia una paz duradera mientras el Kremlin esté bajo el liderazgo de Putin”, sentencia.

Entre unas cosas y otras, las heridas que tienen abiertas los ucranianos en estos momentos son demasiado profundas como para que cierren en 24 horas, como prometió Trump. Y la mayoría de los habitantes de este país cree que el conflicto aún está lejos de terminar porque, aunque se capitule ahora, la paz no va a volver a Ucrania si se cede ante las exigencias de Rusia.