Other observers were similarly dismayed.
“Everything Trump said about Ukraine reeks of cheap populism. Although about few soldiers and few resources here he is right,” Ukrainian journalist Andriy Tanasiuk said. “Biden speaks the truth, but we haven’t heard from him about any real steps toward peace either, unfortunately.”
Merezhko, on the other hand, urged listeners to take Trump’s words regarding Ukraine with a grain of salt. As a politician, by default Trump will criticize everything Biden did, including his policy on Ukraine, Merezhko said.
At the same time, Kyiv officials think Trump may initially try to bring Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table. “But when he realizes this is unrealistic, he will continue to help Ukraine, and may even increase this assistance,” Merezhko added.
Ukraine doesn’t need the U.S. president who will offer the best words of support, but one who would provide real and bold steps to turn the tide of the war, Dmytro Burakov, journalist and economist from Ukraine, said. For that, whoever takes office must strive for Ukraine’s victory, not be scared of what would happen if Russia loses the war, Burakov added.
“Instead we’ve heard self-PR with some deception of [the] U.S. audience, like the thesis about Ukraine getting $200 billion, while in reality, it was at least twice less,” Burakov said.
Indeed, European countries surpassed the U.S. as Ukraine’s biggest donor, providing more than €100 billion in aid to Ukraine in total, while the U.S. has provided €74 billion since 2022, according to Kiel Institute aid tracker.
“It is good that there is no discussion about whether Ukraine should be supported, or whether it can be given to the Kremlin for something. The main thing is that the American citizens need to realize our victory is in their interests and use effective tools to achieve it,” Burakov said.
