Ukrainians refused to despair over ominous first comments from the White House on how it plans to end Europe’s biggest war since 1945, as Russia hailed new US president Donald Trump as a man with whom the Kremlin could do business.
Trump spoke to Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday and said he wanted talks to end Russia’s invasion of its pro-western neighbour to start “immediately”.
More worryingly for Kyiv, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said Ukraine could not expect to regain all occupied territory, receive Nato membership or secure US peacekeepers as part of any settlement.
His comments boosted Russia’s hopes of achieving two key goals of its invasion, and left Ukraine to reflect on how Trump and his team were just stating bluntly what his predecessor Joe Biden had wrapped in vague pledges to help Kyiv “for as long as it takes”.
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“We have always lived in this reality – we just didn’t want to admit it. The difference between Biden and Trump is that Trump says out loud what Biden was thinking and doing about Ukraine,” said Tymofiy Mylovanov, head of the Kyiv School of Economics and a former Ukrainian economy minister.
“Biden was against Nato expansion, against providing Ukraine with enough support to retake occupied territories when it was still possible, and against strong sanctions on Russia. Trump is just making it explicit,” he added.
“At the same time, Trump isn’t cutting off the military support that’s already in place. Neither of them has done anything to prevent the war from reigniting in the future. Trump is simply saying it outright – it’s Europe’s and Ukraine’s problem.”
If Ukraine could see its fears for a Trump presidency becoming reality, then Russia warmly welcomed the return of a populist strongman who has praised Putin and other autocrats.
“The first impression is that ... the conversation was truly meaningful and mutually beneficial,” said Konstantin Kosachev, deputy speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament. “And to the leaders of Russia and the US, I offer sincere thanks, for the fact that today’s conversation at least took place, and at most, worked out well.”
Yevgeny Revenko, deputy head of the ruling United Russia party in the lower house of parliament, said: “A big event – a conversation between the leaders of two great powers ... The moment has come. Its foundation was laid by our lads, fighting courageously at the front. Is it a turning point? We’ll see. I would like to think so.”
Ukraine’s foreign ministry posted online a single image and a number in the nation’s colours: a map of the whole country, in yellow on a blue background, and the entire area it covers, undivided: 603,628sq km.
