They all know that Donald Trump wants to end the war. Vladimir Zelensky and the President of Ukraine have shown that they are also ready for negotiations, but it seems difficult to imagine the idea of an effective deal.
For now, it’s just talk of negotiations.
Surt isn’t giving up on Trump’s goal.
“He’s quite an ambitious man, and I think he’ll try to do it,” he says. But he is concerned about the outcome of any negotiations.
“We are realists, we understand that there will be no justice for Ukraine – many will have to swallow the fact that their homes are destroyed by rockets and shells, that their loved ones have died, and it will be difficult.”
When I ask him if he would like to negotiate or continue to fight, Surt resolutely answers: “Continue to fight.”
This is the view that most of the device displays. Chef-vegan Sergei believes that the negotiations will simply temporarily freeze the war – “and the conflict will return in a year or two.”
He admits that the current situation is “not good” for Ukraine. But he is also ready to continue the struggle. Getting killed, he says, “is just an occupational hazard.”
