KYIV, (Ukraine): Donald Trump’s victory in US presidential elections has sparked anxiety on the streets of Kyiv and Kharkiv at a decisive moment of the war as Ukrainian defences buckle under mounting Russian pressure.
Ukraine is reliant on foreign military aid — in particular from Washington — to hold out against Russia’s invasion, launched nearly three years ago, and it is appealing for closer integration with the US-led NATO military alliance.
Natalia Pichakchi, who fled the southern city of Mariupol that is now controlled by Russian forces after a brutal siege in 2022, said she expected that crucial aid would begin to dry up.
“It’s worrying. It’s disturbing,” she told AFP.
“Something will change; there will not be the same kind of support as before,” she added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky quickly congratulated Trump on his “impressive victory” saying he hoped his presidency would bring “just peace in Ukraine closer”.
Trump’s aides, however, have suggested forcing Ukraine into territorial concessions by conditioning US assistance.
“I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs,” Zelensky wrote on social media.
“This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer.”
Trump, whose running mate JD Vance said he does not care about the fate of Ukraine, has boasted that he can quickly end the Ukraine war.
In Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, which lies near the Russian border and has been under persistent aerial bombardment, some residents said Trump’s previous statements meant little.
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