Donald Trump’s re-election has raised concerns in Ukraine that a significant reduction in U.S. support could have a decisive impact on the war with Russia. During his campaign, the Republican president-elect and his running mate, J.D. Vance, questioned the continued U.S. commitment to Kyiv as the war has been ongoing for more than two and a half years since Russian forces invaded. Trump’s comments also suggested that the U.S. could push Ukraine toward an uneasy armistice with Russia.
Trump’s victory comes at a delicate moment in the conflict for Kyiv, as Russia continues to advance in the eastern Donbass region, which Russian President Vladimir Putin aims to conquer entirely. Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi stressed in a statement that the situation on the front lines remains difficult and that some areas require constant replenishment of Ukrainian units.
At the same time, Russia is reinforcing its troops with North Korean troops. Up to 10,000 North Korean troops are in Russia’s Kursk region and could engage in combat with Ukraine in the coming days, U.S. officials have warned.
Under the Biden administration, the United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, in the form of weapons and budgetary support. The administration plans to ramp up support for Kyiv as much as possible before Trump takes office.
Trump’s attitude toward Putin and Zelensky has been mixed. Trump has repeatedly praised Putin and criticized the Ukrainian president, with whom he has a complicated relationship. Trump’s attempts to use U.S. military aid to Ukraine to push Zelensky to investigate the former president’s political rivals were at the heart of his first impeachment in 2019.
Zelensky has praised Trump and expressed appreciation for his commitment to peace through strength. He stressed the importance of strong bipartisan U.S. support for Ukraine and called for developing mutually beneficial political and economic cooperation.
Trump has repeatedly said that the Ukraine-Russia war would not have happened if he were president, even promising to end the conflict before he took office. Yet in a presidential debate, he refused to say he was committed to helping Ukraine defeat Russia and suggested that Ukraine should have made concessions to Moscow.
Zelensky has laid out a “victory plan” for Ukraine and said the country was not opposed to negotiations, provided they were conducted from a position of strength. He warned, however, that reducing U.S. support for Ukraine could allow Russia to seize more territory, hampering Ukraine’s war efforts.
In a recent interview, Zelensky stressed the importance of continued U.S. support to end the conflict quickly. He stressed that any reduction in that support could give Russia an advantage and jeopardize Ukraine’s chances of winning the war.
The current situation in Ukraine is therefore critical, with multiple diplomatic and military issues that could have major consequences for the future of the conflict with Russia. As the Biden administration puts in place measures to support Ukraine, it will be crucial to closely monitor how the situation evolves and the impact of Trump’s policies on the region.