Ukrainians search for silver linings after US presidential debate

KYIV — For Ukrainians watching the U.S. presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the stakes were high.

Though he may be tired and old, Biden is still more a predictable figure to us in Ukraine, as he supports providing aid to Kyiv that helps us stand against the Kremlin. The glaring question is what to expect from Trump, who treats Russia’s war against us like dispute between two kids that should settle down.

It was a glimmer of hope when Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ultimatum for Kyiv to give up for regions and disarm as a condition for peace unacceptable.

“This already a sign that he, at least openly, is not a supporter of appeasement of Russia through Ukrainian territorial concessions,” Oleksandr Merezhko, head of the Ukrainian parliament’s foreign relations committee, told POLITICO.

According to Merezhko, Trump may still have illusions that the Russian invasion can be stopped through an agreement with Putin. “If he becomes president, this illusion will quickly pass when he realizes that Putin is not interested in agreements, he is only interested in one thing — the destruction of Ukraine’s statehood,” Merezhko said.

Trump used the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion to make Biden appear weak, saying that Putin would have never invaded if Trump himself was president. Biden, for his part, called Putin a war criminal, who will not stop if he gets Ukraine and would attack other countries of Europe, as he is aiming to “restore his Soviet empire.”

Trump then said that Ukrainians, who fight for their independence and sovereignty against the Russian invasion “are being killed so needlessly, so stupidly.”

“Putin’s terms are not acceptable. But look, this is a war that never should have started if we had a leader in this war. Biden is giving $200 billion or more to Ukraine. That’s a lot of money. Every time Zelenskyy comes to this country, he walks away with $60 billion. The greatest salesman ever,” Trump said.

Trump’s allies in Congress held up Ukraine’s $60 billion supplemental aid package for six months — a delay which cost Ukrainian territory, and lives. He painted Ukraine aid as if it was a failed investment project — not a contribution to the stability of a whole allied continent and global markets.    

“I will have that war settled between Putin and Zelenskyy as president-elect before I take office as president on Jan. 20,” Trump said. He missed out exactly how.

Some Ukrainians after the debate felt as if they were lying on railroad tracks, while a freight train was coming at them with no brakes, and the guy who could have switched the tracks just turned and walked away, Olga Rudenko, chief editor of the Kyiv Independent news website, wrote on social media.

“The only thing between us and the train is the possibility of a miracle,” Rudenko said.

Trump used the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion to make Biden appear weak. | Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Other observers were similarly dismayed. “Everything Trump said about Ukraine reeks of cheap populism. Although about few soldiers and few resources here he is right,” Ukrainian journalist Andriy Tanasiuk said. “Biden speaks the truth, but we haven’t heard from him about any real steps toward peace either, unfortunately,” he said.

Merezhko, on the other hand, urged listeners to take Trump’s words regarding Ukraine with a grain of salt. As a politician, by default Trump will criticize everything Biden did, including his policy on Ukraine, Merezhko said.

At the same time, Kyiv officials think Trump may initially try to bring Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table. “But when he realizes this is unrealistic, he will continue to help Ukraine, and may even increase this assistance,” Merezhko added.

Ukraine doesn’t need the U.S. president who will offer the best words of support, but one who would provide real and bold steps to turn the tide of the war, Dmytro Burakov, journalist and economist from Ukraine, said. For that, whoever takes office must strive for Ukraine’s victory, not be scared of what would happen if Russia loses the war, Burakov added.

“Instead we’ve heard self-PR with some deception of [the] U.S. audience, like the thesis about Ukraine getting $200 billion, while in reality, it was at least twice less,” Burakov said.

Indeed, European countries surpassed the U.S. as Ukraine’s biggest donor, providing more than €100 billion in aid to Ukraine in total, while the U.S. has provided €74 billion since 2022, according to Kiel Institute aid tracker.

“It is good that there is no discussion about whether Ukraine should be supported, or whether it can be given to the Kremlin for something. The main thing is that the American citizens need to realize our victory is in their interests and use effective tools to achieve it,” Burakov said.