{"id":219103,"date":"2025-01-19T14:15:09","date_gmt":"2025-01-19T14:15:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/19\/ukraine-braces-for-trumps-return\/"},"modified":"2025-01-19T14:15:09","modified_gmt":"2025-01-19T14:15:09","slug":"ukraine-braces-for-trumps-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/19\/ukraine-braces-for-trumps-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine Braces for Trump\u2019s Return"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/19\/multimedia\/19ukraine-trump-top-mljg\/19ukraine-trump-top-mljg-facebookJumbo.jpg?ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Ukraine Braces for Trump\u2019s Return\" title=\"Ukraine Braces for Trump\u2019s Return\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Could this be the year, as President-elect Donald J. Trump has promised, when Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine is brought to an end?<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The possibility of peace brings \u201ctears to my eyes,\u201d said Valeria, 30, an English teacher from eastern Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">As <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/17\/business\/trump-davos-europe.html\" title=\"\">Mr. Trump prepares to return to the White House on Monday, he is promising peace in Ukraine<\/a>, but publicly offering no strategy for how to achieve it \u2014 aside from his stated desire to meet with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. So Ukrainians can only guess at what the coming months will bring.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">No one, Valeria said, wants peace more than Ukrainians. But having suffered so much loss, with hundreds of thousands killed and injured, Ukrainians will not accept peace at any price, she said. She asked that her family name not be used out of fear for the safety of her father, who is still living under Russian occupation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cEurope and America must remember that any cease-fire or negotiations will only be legitimate if they respect the sacrifices made by Ukrainians and ensure a just, secure and independent future for Ukraine,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Since Mr. Trump won re-election in November, The New York Times has spoken with dozens of Ukrainians \u2014 soldiers at the front, villagers forced to flee their homes and people in cities far removed from the battlefield but subject to missile bombardments \u2014 about their hopes and fears before his inauguration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Many people feel frustrated \u2014 embittered by what some view as an overly cautious approach by the Biden administration, and having endured months of delays in receiving American military assistance last year after it was held up in Congress. The war is still raging, with Ukraine facing a powerful opponent and deeply dependent on American military support.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Trump administration, most agree, will bring change. But many worry that the change will not be good, particularly if military aid is withheld.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cSome say this is the end for Ukraine,\u201d said Anna, 29, an artist who asked not to use her surname out of concern that Russians would harass her online. \u201cBut since I consider him an unstable person,\u201d she said of Mr. Trump, \u201cI can\u2019t say for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI hold out hope for justice and that Russia will face consequences for everything it has done,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On the front lines, soldiers often say they are not only defending their home but standing as a shield protecting the rest of Europe from a revanchist Russian regime.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Maj. Yaroslav Galas, 53, who serves in the 128th Transcarpathian Mountain Assault Brigade, said he thought Mr. Trump\u2019s desire to be seen as a winner would ultimately ensure he backs Ukraine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cTrump understands that the victory of Russia and the defeat of Ukraine is the defeat of the United States and his personal defeat as president,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is how the world would see it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Andrii, 44, a military intelligence officer fighting in the Kursk region of Russia, said every Ukrainian had experienced so much horror that the end of the war could not come soon enough.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWar is terrifying, and it needs to end,\u201d he said, asking that his surname not be used in accordance with military protocol for soldiers interviewed at the front. \u201cMaybe Trump will do something about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But if Mr. Trump withholds military support as a way to pressure Kyiv into accepting a bad deal, he said, it may not work out the way he expects.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIt will be bad,\u201d he said. \u201cIt will turn into a guerrilla war.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe won\u2019t give up,\u201d he said. \u201cMany good people will die.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Andrii was a local businessman in the border city of Sumy when the Russians stormed across in February 2022. He hid his four children, he said, picked up a gun and has barely put it down since.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe organized ourselves and started fighting them off,\u201d he said. \u201cWe pushed them out of the city, set up checkpoints, and they didn\u2019t get through. There was no government, just regular people organizing and doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">While political infighting and social tension within Ukraine <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/01\/30\/world\/europe\/ukraine-zelensky-zaluzhny-general.html\" title=\"\">have grown<\/a> since the beginning of the war, he believes people would rally together again in the event of a catastrophic collapse of the front.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In a cemetery on the outskirts of Sumy this month, row upon row of blue and gold Ukrainian flags fluttered in a cold wind.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Kateryna Zakharuk, 25, sat by the grave of her husband, Ivan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">When their village was occupied by Russian forces in the opening days of the war, he banded together with friends to fight behind enemy lines, burning Russian ammunition depots and even capturing a prisoner, she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Russians were driven back across the border, and Ivan joined the army. He was killed on Feb. 17, 2024.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Ms. Zakharuk visits his grave every week, she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cMy friend\u2019s brother, who was also Ivan\u2019s friend, is buried there,\u201d she said, pointing to the headstone. \u201cMy relative is buried over there. A boy from my village is buried right there. There are so many familiar people here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">She has seen how Russian forces have laid waste to entire cities, leaving nothing but ashes, and worries that Sumy could suffer the same fate without American support.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cNot only are human lives ruined,\u201d she said, \u201cbut all memories are destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-8\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Valeria, the English teacher, said her hometown had already been ravaged. Her family is from Kreminna, in eastern Ukraine, which has been occupied by Russian forces since early in the war.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Her father is still there; she has not seen him in years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI don\u2019t know if I ever will see him again,\u201d she said. \u201cAs cynical as it may sound, even though he is alive, part of me has already said goodbye to him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">She said she did not know what Mr. Trump would do, but hoped Ukraine would \u201chave the primary voice in such serious decisions as our future, especially on matters of war and peace.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cUnfortunately,\u201d she said, \u201cthere\u2019s a growing sense that the fate of Ukrainian citizens is often being discussed without our participation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\">Liubov Sholudko<!-- --> and <!-- -->Anna Lukinova<!-- --> contributed reporting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/19\/world\/europe\/ukraine-us-trump-war-peace.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Could this be the year, as President-elect Donald J. Trump has promised, when Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine is brought to an end? The possibility of peace brings \u201ctears to my eyes,\u201d said Valeria, 30, an English teacher from eastern Ukraine. As Mr. Trump prepares to return to the White House on Monday, he is promising [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":219104,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/19\/multimedia\/19ukraine-trump-top-mljg\/19ukraine-trump-top-mljg-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[31747,137233,163575,164855,164576,3096,172481,164378,3950,202,172482,52,1734,1130,163486],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219103"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219103"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219103\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":219105,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219103\/revisions\/219105"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/219104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=219103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=219103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}