As the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion approaches, Ukrainians are feeling a mix of fear and sadness, similar to how they felt just before the war began. But now, their worry isn’t only about Russia. A new challenge is coming from their former ally, the United States, as President Donald Trump makes comments that seem to echo Russian President Vladimir Putin’s views and promises to end the war quickly, even if that means giving in to Russia’s demands.
After three years of war, Ukraine’s unity had started to show cracks, as old political disagreements resurfaced. But this week, Trump’s false claims about President Volodymyr Zelenskyy being a “dictator” who started the war have brought Ukrainians together in support of their leader. Even some of Zelenskyy’s harshest critics are standing by him now.
Kateryna Karaush, a 25-year-old tech worker from Kyiv, said, “Yes, he’s not a perfect president, but he’s not a dictator.” Like many Ukrainians, she is confused by Trump’s shift toward Russia, which marks a major change in U.S. foreign policy. “It feels like the whole world is against us,” she added, according to the Associated Press.
Despite these new challenges, Ukrainians have managed to hold off Russia’s invasion, with heavy military aid from the U.S. But the war has taken a heavy toll. Thousands of people have been killed or wounded, many are missing, and millions have fled their homes.
The mood has darkened even more recently as Trump suggested that the fighting should end quickly on terms that many in Ukraine and the West feel are too favorable to Russia. Trump also wrongly called Zelenskyy a “dictator” for postponing elections last year, and reports surfaced that U.S. and Russian officials were talking about a ceasefire without including Ukraine in the discussions. This has led even some of Zelenskyy’s political opponents to defend him.
Yaroslav Zhelezniak, an opposition lawmaker, said, “We may have different opinions about Zelenskyy, but only Ukrainian citizens have the right to judge his support. And to publicly criticize him too, because, in the end, he is our elected leader.”
Trump’s harsh words have drawn criticism from Democrats and even some Republicans in the U.S. Congress, who have strongly supported Ukraine with military aid. But Vice President JD Vance criticized Zelenskyy for warning Trump about Russian disinformation.
This tension led to the cancellation of a planned news conference between Zelenskyy and Trump’s Ukraine envoy to discuss ways to end the war.
A recent poll showed that 57% of Ukrainians trust Zelenskyy. The survey, conducted from February 4 to 9, found that even those who don’t fully agree with him still support him in this difficult time. Larysa, a 52-year-old resident from Kharkiv, said, “We have a president whom we support. During war, we are united.”
As Ukrainian forces face a tough battle to hold off Russia, many soldiers are not giving up. One soldier, who asked to remain anonymous, said, “Even if we don’t get enough weapons or if funding is cut, that doesn’t change our duty to fight. No shells? We’ll take up rifles. No rifles? We’ll grab shovels.”
On Wednesday, Trump echoed Putin’s claim that Zelenskyy must hold elections. But this idea is not popular in Ukraine. Even opposition politicians recognize that elections shouldn’t be held during a war. Volodymyr Ariev, a lawmaker from the opposition party European Solidarity, said, “Elections are not needed right now because they should only take place when we understand the framework of a peace agreement with Russia.”
Zelenskyy’s adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, explained that holding elections now would be problematic. Millions of Ukrainians who’ve fled the country wouldn’t be able to vote, and those in Russian-occupied areas wouldn’t be able to participate either. The 800,000 soldiers in the army also couldn’t vote without weakening the military, and soldiers can’t run for office while serving.
Valerii Pekar, a professor at Kyiv-Mohyla Business School, warned that holding elections before a peace agreement would harm Ukraine. “The U.S. and Russia are now united in promoting the idea of ‘elections first, then peace’ — which is the quickest and cheapest way to bring Ukraine down,” he said.
