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WARSAW — After the confirmation of Donald Trump’s victory, the gloomy comments from Ukrainian observers have been mixed with hopes about the “unpredictability” of the new U.S. president. Many say that Ukraine has no choice: the war goes on and Ukrainians continue to have to do their job just as before.
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On Wednesday morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Trump on winning the election. He also recalled their meeting in September, during which he presented the Ukrainian victory plan to the then candidate.
“I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs,” Zelensky wrote on X, referring to the slogan “Peace through strength” that Republican Ronald Reagan used in foreign policy toward the USSR.
According to Zelensky, it is precisely such a principle that can lead to a just peace in Ukraine.
“I am hopeful that we will put it into action together. We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership. We rely on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States,” Zelensky added.
Seen from Ukraine
“It won’t be boring for the next four years! That doesn’t mean that it will be fun,” Serhiy Sydorenko, editor of European Pravda, a Ukrainian news source focusing on the EU and the Western world, wrote on Facebook.
Ukrainians have been commenting on the U.S. election results since Wednesday morning. And although you can read many negative opinions, there are also those who believe that the new president’s policy toward Ukraine and Russia may turn out to be a surprise for Moscow and its allies.
Journalist Kristina Berdyński’s morning query on Facebook “And what are your emotions this morning?” received many comments. Troves of social media users wrote that they expected such a result and it is disturbing for Ukraine. Among the commenters was Iryna Herashchenko, a Ukrainian journalist and deputy from the opposition European Solidarity faction, who observed the election from Washington.
Herashchenko said the results show that Ukraine should be working more closely with Republicans as well as Democrats. And that, in general, Americans view Ukraine in a rather positive light, which they should take advantage of, because both parties will be trying to form policies in line with those of their respective bases.
Ukrainians should first and foremost deal with their own domestic issues.
She also criticized Zelensky’s entourage for monopolizing international politics, arguing that all of Ukraine’s political might should be united to have an impact in the United States in the context of the ongoing war.
Many commentators also pointed out that, regardless of the election results, Ukrainians should first and foremost deal with their own domestic issues. Reacting to Trump’s second electoral victory, Volodymyr Viatrovych, the former head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) and an incumbent deputy wrote “And yet, again. But we have to do our job.”
Ukrainian military expert Mykhailo Samus said that in the current situation “the priority for Ukraine is an internal victory plan.” On Tuesday evening, Zelensky referred to this plan in a speech he gave, stating that the first point of this plan should be a further strengthening of the front and Ukraine’s defense industry.
Expect the unexpected
Ironic comments were also not lacking in the Ukrainian post-election discourse, including reactions to Trump’s campaign speeches about ending the war in Ukraine. “Trump promised to end the war in one day. As a result, our company has ambitious plans for the weekend,” wrote Pavel Kazarin, a journalist who volunteered for the army after Feb. 24, 2022.
Trump has said in earlier interviews that if he had been president in 2022, there would be no war to speak of at all. He also promised that if he were to win the election, he would bring the war to a quick end. That was much earlier in the electoral cycle, and Ukrainian experts expressed their doubts over receiving further U.S. military aid if Trump were to win.
Some have said, however, that the “unpredictability” of the then candidate could actually help Ukraine.
Trump’s unpredictability and vanity could under certain circumstances work to Ukraine’s benefit.
“More than a few statements and signals show that Trump is not a politician who will particularly care about Ukraine’s interests, about its sovereignty, and even less about its victory in the war,” Alyona Getmanchuk, director of the Kyiv-based think tank the New Europe Center, told Gazeta Wyborcza in July.
“The more we became frustrated with Joe Biden and his administration, the less fear we had over Donald Trump’s potential return to the White House. And two of Trump’s negative traits: unpredictability and vanity, could under certain circumstances work to Ukraine’s benefit,” Getmanchuk said.
In her view, if Trump understands that certain actions by the United States toward Ukraine are in his own best interest, he will not be afraid to take a decision that the Biden administration views as an escalation with Russia.
Two to tango
Zelensky, who visited the United States in September, met with Trump among other American leaders. But it wasn’t entirely certain whether the meeting would happen in the end or not. Prior to his visit, Zelensky had told The New Yorker that Trump does not know how to end the war.
And during Zelensky’s visit, Trump told a rally in Savannah, Georgia that the Ukrainian president was “the greatest salesman in history,” adding that “every time he came to our country, he’d walk away with billion.”
In the end, the meeting between Trump and Zelensky did take place, and Trump once again repeated that if he were to win the election the issue of the war would be resolved very quickly.
It’s a situation that is both terrifying and intriguing.
“This country has gone through hell like few countries have ever… Nobody’s ever seen anything like it; it’s a horrible situation,” Trump added during the meeting. Whereas, in a talk during a joint briefing Trump and Zelensky were able to come together for a specific dialogue.
“We have a very good relationship, and I also have a very good relationship, as you know, with President Putin,” Trump said.
“I hope that our relations are better,” Zelensky replied with a smile.
“It takes two to tango,” Trump joked.
Total Republican power
Ukrainian experts are also highlighting that Republicans have not only won the presidency, but have also won a majority in the Senate. If they are able to maintain their current majority in the House of Representatives, that will pose great challenges for Ukraine.
The problem here may best be symbolized by the reelection of Republican Victoria Spartz as Representative for Indiana, the first Ukrainian-born U.S. congresswoman. It would seem that her origins should favor Ukraine, but her relations with Kyiv are not the best, and Spartz has actively opposed U.S. aid to Ukraine.
Wiktor Szlinczak, the chairman of the board of the World Policy Institute, wrote: “We can congratulate America on the experiment of formulating a total mono-majority. There will be no checks and balances in American politics for the next two years. It’s a situation that is both terrifying and intriguing at the same time.”
