Trump’s win has created questions over how the incoming Republican administration will handle Ukraine’s war against Russia.
Trump has pledged to end the war in Ukraine before his inauguration on Jan. 20, but he has offered few details about how that would be accomplished, leading to fears that he would cede territory seized by Russia in the nearly three-year war.
And there are mounting concerns about Trump’s affinity for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who he called a “genius” after he invaded Ukraine in 2022 and reportedly called seven times since leaving office in January 2021.
Yuriy Boyechko, the CEO and founder of the charity organization Hope for Ukraine, said he was “dumbfounded” by Trump’s victory and unsure of what to expect from his administration.
“A lot of people have fear,” said Boyechko, a Ukrainian who lives in the U.S. but still has family and friends in the country. “The worst thing in life is unknowing, when you don’t know what to expect — that’s what they have to live through right now and that’s the worst thing.”
Boyechko, whose charity group helps feed and support Ukrainian families in need, called for Trump to release “actual policy” on how he will secure the country.
In Kyiv, officials were not publicly expressing any immediate concerns.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a congratulatory message on the social platform X shortly after Trump won, saying he appreciated Trump’s promise of peace through strength and that he looks “forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership.”
Zelensky also referenced a September meeting he held with Trump in New York, calling it “great.” Trump, in his public remarks at the time, promised to quickly resolve the war and touted his relations with both Zelensky and Putin.
A source in Ukraine who spoke under condition of anonymity to discuss the September meeting said Trump asked genuine questions about the war and Zelensky’s victory plan, which includes a path to beating Russia by inviting Kyiv into NATO, lifting U.S. weapons restrictions and providing the nation with a nonnuclear strategic deterrent capability.
