the essential
The day after the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States, Ukrainians react with fatalism. Worried, they nevertheless hope for positive cooperation with the future president.
In the early hours of November 6, as the results of the American elections were taking shape, Ukrainians woke up after yet another night interspersed with air alerts and explosions of hovering bombs, missiles and drones. From Kyiv, even if the population is aware of the stakes of a change of tone on the side of Washington, the main supplier of military aid to Ukraine, the priority, and the first concern of the inhabitants, is to survive the Russian air attacks and war in general. Even if these elections were followed, they take second place to the immediate question of survival.
“The United States could have done much more for Ukraine”
Artem, 24, is an economics student. He observed these elections from afar and confides: “Under the presidency of Joe Biden, the United States could have done much more for Ukraine. Trump says he has a plan to stop the war, I don't really believe in it but maybe he will make things happen – for better or for worse,” he quips. Kateryna, in her forties, works in the cultural sector. She is saddened by the American choice: “I’m just shocked, how could he win these elections again? I worry about the choices he will make with regard to Ukraine, particularly regarding military aid.” Alina, 35, works in public relations, wants to be pragmatic about the American choice: “Whoever the president is, the Ukrainians are not ready to accept a peace dictated by foreign actors. Even if Trump is unpredictable, and his election is worrying given his character, I would like to believe that he understood that defending Ukrainian interests amounted to defending those of his country.”
On the official side, the time has come to hope for positive cooperation. Valentin Nalyvaichenko, former head of Ukrainian intelligence and now a parliamentarian, worked after the Maidan revolution in 2014 to bring Ukraine closer to the United States and NATO. For this veteran of transatlantic relations, the change of tenant in the White House has no reason to worry for the moment: “it is in our national interest to work with both Democrats and Republicans, particularly on issues related to NATO and Ukraine's membership in NATO. Moreover, during the war years, the bipartisan attitude towards cooperation in the field of security and defense has changed: unprecedented financing opportunities and exchanges of specialists have become part of cooperation daily between our two countries, at the level of the security and defense departments, governments, parliaments, and also at the level of presidents. “.
Quelle relation Trump-Zelensky
One of the unknowns of this election is precisely the relationship that will be established between the two presidents. In his congratulatory message to President-elect Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky strongly praises the one who will return to power in January 2025, speaks of a “great meeting” regarding their September meeting, and cherishes President Trump's devotion to the method of “peace through power”, which he hopes will help achieve what he calls a just peace in Ukraine.
Beneath the diplomatic veneer highlights the need not to irritate the touchy new president: while the Russians have intensified their bombings as well as their offensive in the East, where they are recording territorial gains and the question of a ceasefire and negotiations is more and more frequently mentioned outside Ukraine, the Ukrainian government knows that it will need the support of Washington to avoid having a peace imposed on Moscow's terms, and whoever the tenant of the White House, the Ukrainians, the first victims of this war, are not ready to accept this option either.
