Ukraine servicemen and analysts, from military experts, say the prospect of winning a war against Russia has become even slimmer with a Putin-friendly president in the White House.
In this regard, a 29-year-old youth from Ukraine was mentioned in a report by Al-Jazeera on Thursday. Ihor is an employee. With utter disappointment, he opined that Trump's victory means that Russian President Vladimir Putin has won the US presidential election. “There's a great celebration going on in the Kremlin right now,” Ihor said.
In the wake of the US election, large numbers of Ukrainians feel exactly the same as Ihor. All of these people see Trump's political resurgence as a major shock.
Ihor believes that in the new reality there will surely be a cease-fire agreement, which will greatly benefit Russia. It is also possible that the Crimean region of Ukraine will be recognized as part of Russia. If this happens, the sacrifices of the people of Ukraine on the battlefield for so long will be in vain.
Ukraine's military experts have also expressed concern about US military assistance as Trump is president. U.S. support under President Biden was significant for Ukraine. Ukrainian military expert Andrey Pronin believes that Ukraine has received substantial military assistance from the United States in recent months. The stockpiles currently held by Ukraine will last another eight months. But then Ukraine may be forced to negotiate under certain conditions set by the US under Trump.
The perception now prevails across Ukraine that Trump's potential peace plan will make many concessions to Russia. Ukrainian military expert Nikol Mitrokhin argues that such a deal would help Russia advance further in Ukraine. Probably by the middle of next year, Ukraine will take over important cities like Dnipro and Zaporizhia. In this situation, whether on the battlefield or at home, the number of casualties in Ukraine will increase due to Russian attacks.
As mentioned earlier in the report, Ihor has endured multiple injuries so far. He is currently suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He fears his family's suffering will be meaningless if Ukraine loses any of its territory as a result of any peace deal under Trump.
Despite the uncertainty, Ukrainian officials acknowledged they may need to work with the Trump administration. However, President Biden will continue his support for Ukraine until Trump sits in the Oval Office of the White House.
While Trump's position on Ukraine remains unclear, history shows that he suspended military aid to Ukraine in 2019 when he was president. In addition, some of Trump's other actions during that time have now become a source of concern and frustration for Ukrainians.
