Could this be the year that Russia’s war on Ukraine ends, as President-elect Donald Trump has promised?
Valeria, 30, an English teacher from eastern Ukraine, says the possibility of peace “brings tears to my eyes.”
As Mr. Trump prepares to return to the White House on Monday, he is promising peace in Ukraine but offering no strategy for how to achieve it — other than a desire to meet with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin. So Ukrainians can only guess what the coming months will bring.
According to Valerian, nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians. But the Ukrainians, who have suffered so many losses, hundreds of thousands of people were killed and wounded, will not accept peace at any price. He asked that his last name not be used, fearing for the safety of his father, who is still living under Russian occupation.
“Europe and America must remember that any ceasefire or negotiations will be legitimate only if they respect the sacrifices of Ukrainians and ensure a fair, secure and independent future for Ukraine,” he said.
Since Mr. Trump won re-election in November, The New York Times has spoken to dozens of Ukrainians — soldiers on the front lines, villagers forced from their homes and people in cities far from the battlefield but bombarded by rockets. hopes and fears before the inauguration.
Many people are frustrated by what some see as an overly cautious approach by the Biden administration and have endured months of delays in getting American military aid since last year’s Congressional vote. The war is still going on, Ukraine is facing a powerful adversary and is heavily dependent on American military support.
The Trump administration, in agreement with the majority, will bring about change. But many worry that the change won’t be good, especially if military aid is cut off.
“Some say this is the end of Ukraine,” said Anna, 29, who asked not to use her last name because she was worried Russians would harass her online. “But because I think he’s an unstable person,” she said of Mr. Trump, “I can’t say for sure.”
“I hope for justice and that Russia will face consequences for everything it does,” he said.
Soldiers on the front lines often say that they are not only defending their home, but also standing as a shield protecting the rest of Europe from a revanchist Russian regime.
Major Yaroslav Galas, 53, who serves in the 128th Transcarpathian Mountain Assault Brigade, said Mr. Trump’s desire to appear victorious will ultimately support Ukraine.
“Trump understands that the victory of Russia and the defeat of Ukraine is the defeat of the United States and his personal defeat as president.” “That’s how the world will see it.”
Andrii, 44, a military intelligence officer who fought in Russia’s Kursk region, said every Ukrainian had experienced so much horror that the end of the war could not come soon enough.
“The war is terrible and it must end,” he said, asking that his last name not be used in accordance with military protocol for soldiers interviewed at the front. “Maybe Trump will do something about it.”
But if Mr. Trump withholds military support to pressure Kiev into accepting a bad deal, it may not work out as he hopes.
“It’s going to be bad,” he said. “This will turn into a guerilla war.”
“We will not give up,” he said. “Very good people will die.”
Andrii was a local businessman in Sumy, where the Russians crossed the border in February 2022. She said she hid her four children, took the gun and has hardly put it down since.
“We organized ourselves and started to fight them,” he said. “We kicked them out of the city, set up checkpoints, they couldn’t pass. There was no government, just ordinary people who organized and did it.”
Political strife and social tension within Ukraine they grew up Since the beginning of the war, he believes that in the event of a catastrophic collapse of the front, people will be reunited.
This month, blue and gold Ukrainian flags fluttered in the cold wind at a cemetery on the outskirts of Sumy.
25-year-old Katerina Zakharuk is sitting next to the grave of her husband Ivan.
When their village was invaded by Russian troops in the early days of the war, he and his friends fought behind enemy lines, burning Russian ammunition depots and even capturing a prisoner.
They drove the Russians back across the border and Ivan joined the army. He was killed on February 17, 2024.
Mrs. Zakharuk visits his grave every week, she said.
He pointed to the headstone and said: “My friend’s brother, he was Ivan’s friend. “My relative is buried there. A boy from my village is buried right there. There are many familiar people here.”
He has seen how Russian forces have laid waste to entire cities, leaving nothing but ashes, and worries that without American support, Sumin could suffer the same fate.
“Because human life is destroyed,” he said, “all memories are destroyed.”
Valeria, an English teacher, said that her hometown was already in ruins. His family is from the city of Kremin in eastern Ukraine, which has been occupied by Russian forces since the beginning of the war.
His father is still there; he hasn’t seen her in years.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again,” she said. “As cynical as it sounds, even though he’s alive, a part of me has already said goodbye to him.”
He said that he did not know what Mr. Trump would do, but hoped that Ukraine “will have a major say in serious decisions like our future, especially in matters of war and peace.”
“Unfortunately,” he said, “there is a growing feeling that the fate of Ukrainian citizens is often discussed without our participation.”
Liubov Sholudko and Anna Lukinova contributed to the report.
