"Trump isn’t my president; yet, he will decide my future" -Olga Rudenko

Dear Reader,

You probably already know that Russia’s war against Ukraine should have stopped about 12 hours ago.

That’s the self-imposed deadline U.S. President-elect Donald Trump advertised during the campaign. He said that the war would be “stopped” or “settled” within 24 hours, sometimes implying that it would be right after he’s elected, before he assumes office.

Of course, we know that it was nothing but a flashy campaign promise. Sitting here in Kyiv, we know better than to expect a magical overnight resolution of the war that has been raging since 2014, with a new, bloodier stage since 2022.

But it’s a good illustration of the incoming U.S. president’s perception of Ukraine, Russia, and the war. It’s one of the most memorable things he said, but there were others: dismissive remarks about aid to Ukraine, implying that President Volodymyr Zelensky is getting too much from the U.S. (“the greatest salesman,” Trump sarcastically called him), and a flattering tone he saved for talking about Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. And don’t forget to add Trump’s bumpy history with Ukraine to the mix: It was his call to Zelensky that prompted his first impeachment.

It’s therefore understandable that Kyiv feels anxiety over Trump’s victory. As Ukrainians, we have no say in the U.S. election, but our future depends on who wins it. If I had to capture the mood in Kyiv, I’d say it’s nauseating uncertainty.

Many here took note of Trump’s remarks and concluded that he hates Ukraine and will all but sell it out to Russia. When we took to the streets of Kyiv yesterday to ask people what they thought, they didn’t hold back. “Can I swear?” a 21-year-old Ukrainian woman said. “We’re f*cked like the Poles in 1939.”

Others cling to optimism. Some think that Trump won’t force Ukraine into a deal that benefits Russia because of the Kremlin’s alliance with his two enemies, Iran and China. Others hope that Trump can be nudged to get emotionally invested in Ukraine’s victory if it can be framed for him as a demonstration of his strength. Perhaps that’s why Zelensky said in a speech today that “peace can’t be bought by weakness.”

Am I anxious about the Trump presidency? I’m a Ukrainian, a journalist, and a woman. Of course, I am. But I also have a newsroom of brilliant young journalists here in Kyiv. With them, we will do what’s right: cover Trump justly and hold him accountable. As Ukrainian journalists, we have covered our share of rule breakers and can take on one more.

Here’s an excerpt from an internal note I sent to the team last night:

“Naturally, we will scrutinize everything he says and does regarding Ukraine, Russia, and the war. If he fulfills the worst expectations and manifests himself as an enemy of Ukraine, we will cover him as such and won’t hold back.”

So here we are — bracing ourselves for this next chapter in Ukraine’s fight for survival that we have the honor to witness and chronicle. We are staying here no matter what comes next, to be your eyes and ears on the ground in Ukraine.

What makes it possible? Your support. The Kyiv Independent is funded by readers like you. Our community is our backbone. Choose to support the Kyiv Independent today — and let’s face the uncertainty together.

After all, when can community be more important than at a time like this?

 

-Olga Rudenko, Editor-in-Chief, The Kyiv Independent