Following the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, Ukraine fears the measures that could be taken to put an end to the conflict.
On November 6, 2024, Donald Trump won the presidential election by a wide margin and became the 47th president of the United States. If many Americans are delighted with this large victory against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, on the kyiv side, pessimism is the key word.
“Something will change, there will be no more support” American, explains a Ukrainian in reference to the tens of billions of dollars in military and financial aid that Washington and NATO members have provided since the start of the war in 2022, allowing kyiv to continue fighting against an invader much more powerful.
Here, there is fear that the new president of the United States could impose a peace plan largely favorable to Russia. Trump would like to demilitarize but leave the area currently occupied by Moscow, i.e. 20% of Ukrainian territory, under de facto Russian control. He would also be in favor of kyiv renouncing joining NATO, as demanded by the Kremlin.
“In one day”
Although he will not officially return to office for several weeks, the Republican has made many promises and assured put an end to the war very quickly, “in 24 hours”. But Volodymyr Zelensky first of all welcomed Donald Trump's victory. “Congratulations to Donald Trump on his impressive election victory! I remember our big meeting with President Trump in September, when we discussed in detail the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United States, the Victory Plan and ways to put an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine”he wrote on X.
“I appreciate President Trump's commitment to the 'peace through strength' approach to international affairs. This is exactly the principle that can practically achieve a just peace in Ukraine. J “I am hopeful that we will put it into practice together. We hope that the United States of America will experience an era of strength under the decisive leadership of President Trump.”continued the Ukrainian president.
But how does Trump plan to go about it? “I would say to Zelensky: nothing more. You have to make a deal. I would say to Putin: if you don't make a deal, we are going to give him a lot. We are going to (give Ukraine) more than it never received if we must”had assured the successor to Joe Biden in 2023, cited by the Kyiv Independent. “I'll close the deal in one day. One day!”he said.
Donald Trump's first measures, regarding international conflicts such as the war in Ukraine or support for Israel, are expected and will be closely scrutinized.
Russia doesn't believe it
On the Russian side, we are much more suspicious. “Let us not forget that we are talking about a hostile country, which is directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state”assured Dmitri Peskov, spokesperson for the Kremlin, after the election of Donald Trump.
“We saw the statements. Trump said he would resolve the conflict within 24 hours, and then JD Vance said China was a bigger problem for the United States than the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “We must distinguish pre-election rhetoric from statements by government officials with appropriate powers. If we are talking about the possibility of resolving the conflict, let's be realistic.”for her part declared Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry.
