Ukraine is now enduring the biggest attacks in months. At the same time, it looks like support from the West may decrease.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has received a great deal of support from the United States. But in January, Donald Trump takes office as president, and then the approach to Ukraine may change.
Trump has expressed that he wants to reduce aid to Ukraine and during the election campaign he has said that he wants to bring President Zelenskyi and President Putin to the negotiating table. Elon Musk has suggested, among other things, that the parties should negotiate about areas and that annexed Crimea should become part of Russia.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Sweden, Andrij Plachotnyuk, describes the American support as “incredibly important”. However, according to the ambassador, starting negotiations on Ukrainian land is not on the map – it is a red line.
– We will not give up a single square centimeter of our land.
The ambassador: “People are tired”
Many Ukrainians share the ambassador’s line, but with nearly 1,000 days of war behind them, 32 percent express support for giving up the country for peace, according to the Kiev International Institute of Sociology. A year ago, the corresponding figure was 14 percent.
– It’s about people being tired. But my view is that if we all together have the opportunity to strengthen our cohesion and support Ukraine in the coming months, the number who can imagine such a scenario would definitely decrease.
He believes that it is now important for Ukrainians to see that they have support from the outside world and is convinced that the support will continue.
– I think that ordinary people in many countries support the Ukrainians. That is what really matters to us, says Andrij Plachotnjuk.