Fighters in Ukraine Believe the War is Far from Over Despite Reports of a Deal Imminent
Despite reports of a potential deal, many fighters in Ukraine remain resolute in their belief that the war is far from over. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed optimism that the war could end sooner with Trump in the White House, but this attitude is not shared by everyone.
“We can’t surrender,” said U.S. Army veteran Miro Popovich, a Ukrainian American combat volunteer who has fought on the front lines since the war began. “We can’t surrender territory, we can’t surrender people, because our existence is on the line once again.”
A recent Gallup poll found that 52% of Ukrainians would like to see their country negotiate an end to the war as soon as possible, and many are less hopeful about the future than a year earlier. Low on morale and manpower, Kyiv’s troops have been on the defensive for months as Russia’s military pushes to retake lost territory or seize new land behind a wave of drones, missiles, and infantry.
Ukraine wants to enter any negotiations from a position of strength. A source in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine revealed that Ukraine still controlled over 300 square miles of Russia’s Kursk region, and that airstrikes deep inside Russian territory were helping to destroy Russia military infrastructure.
Trump has never explained how he would try to break the diplomatic deadlock between the two sides, but his public comments and determination to seek a rapid resolution have raised fears that his return to power will prove favorable to the Kremlin.
