Donald Trump’s triumph in the US presidential election is seen as a tragedy for Ukraine. Trump and Ukraine certainly have a troubled history. During Trump’s first term, when he pressured president Zelensky to investigate Hunter Biden, this effort led to Trump’s first impeachment. Trump’s sympathy for, indeed admiration of, Vladimir Putin is well-known. Trump and vice president-elect JD Vance claim to have a plan to swiftly end the Russian–Ukrainian war, presumably by strong arming Kyiv to cede territory to Russia and abandon its bid for Nato membership. Is Ukraine doomed and headed toward defeat and subjugation by Russia?
Putin prefers fighting to a ceasefire and will likely reject any Trump proposal for a simple stop to the hostilities
Likely not. Trump’s policies might severely harm Ukraine’s war effort, but Trump cannot simply deliver Ukraine to Putin; the country is not his to hand over. The doomsday scenarios overestimate the US impact and ignore the agency of Ukraine and its supporters.
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