KYIV – After practically three years of dwelling beneath fixed risk of Russian airstrikes whereas their troops combat a grinding campaign towards Russia’s invasion, many Ukrainians lengthy for an finish to the struggle — however now concern it may come on unfavorable phrases.
High U.S. and Russian officers plan to meet Tuesday in Saudi Arabia to debate an finish to the struggle — with out Kyiv’s participation — rankling some Ukrainians who fear they are going to be sidelined.
“We’re being destroyed, Ukraine is struggling, Ukraine is combating. And our president doesn’t take part?” Lidiia Odyntsova, 71, mentioned with disbelief of the upcoming talks. “We’re the victims. We should always play first fiddle in these talks.”
Standing with tears in her eyes beside a snow-covered memorial to fallen Ukrainian soldiers in central Kyiv, she mentioned: “I cannot forgive them! I’ll by no means forgive!“
Whereas Ukraine won’t participate in Tuesday’s talks, U.S. State Division spokesperson Tammy Bruce mentioned any precise peace negotiations would solely happen with Ukraine’s involvement.
Nonetheless, many Ukrainians are watching a barrage of developments from america with apprehension. Ukrainian social media has been flooded with posts reflecting deep unease, and lots of stay anxiously glued to their telephones for updates.
U.S. President Donald Trump final week sent shockwaves throughout each side of the Atlantic after he agreed by cellphone with Russian President Vladimir Putin to start negotiations — abruptly upending a longstanding U.S.-led effort to isolate Moscow over its invasion. That got here the identical day that U.S. Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth mentioned NATO membership for Ukraine was unrealistic and steered Kyiv ought to abandon hopes of profitable all its territory again from Russia, signaling a view of a possible settlement that’s remarkably close to Moscow’s.
Ukraine, which has been slowly losing ground to Russia’s bigger military, was already dealing with a tough negotiating place, and Hegseth’s feedback poured chilly water on two key Ukrainian aspirations. Whereas help for an finish to the combating among the many nation’s war-wearied inhabitants is widespread, there stays broad settlement that it should not come on the expense of these dwelling in territories occupied by Russia or on the danger of future incursions by Moscow.
Talking to Fox Information Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” program, U.S. Particular Envoy Steve Witkoff didn’t instantly reply to a query about whether or not Ukraine must quit a “significant slice” of its territory. “These are particulars, and I’m not dismissive of the small print, they’re essential. However I believe the start right here is trust-building,” he mentioned.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed the upcoming talks, saying they might “yield no outcomes” given the absence of Ukrainian officers.
Valerii Semenii, a 59-year-old combating with Ukraine’s armed forces, in the meantime, mentioned he feared the worst.
“Trump is marching in direction of a world struggle, as a result of the aggressor can’t be pacified,” Semenii mentioned. “He doesn’t know historical past, as a result of possibly as we speak you’ll pacify (Putin), however tomorrow it should provoke a world struggle. There’s nothing else I can say about these negotiations.”
That sentiment mirrored fears by many in Ukraine’s authorities and inhabitants that bringing an finish to the combating with out constructing an enduring safety infrastructure to stop any future Russian aggression would permit Moscow time to regroup and launch future assaults, each in Ukraine and the broader area.
“We’ve to know that Russia is a hazard not just for Ukraine,” mentioned Oleksandr Shyrshyn, a battalion commander combating within the Russian area of Kursk, where Ukrainians troops have occupied some territory however suffered heavy losses. European nations “must have an element on this negotiation as effectively as a result of, as we see, all Europe is afraid of Russia and so they don’t need the identical state of affairs that we now have.”
Shyrshyn mentioned he thought each of Ukraine’s main objectives — the restoration of its Russian-occupied territories and membership within the NATO army alliance — could be attainable if the Trump administration “would help us with all their energy.”
“If the USA is just not prepared to help us, we can have extra deaths, extra losses,” he mentioned, “however we are going to proceed to combat, as a result of it’s a query of our existence.”
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Related Press journalists Hanna Arhirova, Volodymyr Yurchuk and Yehor Konovalov contributed.
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