On Ukraine’s front and in Kyiv, hope and pragmatism compete when it comes to Trump’s election

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Soldiers successful a Ukrainian artillery artillery connected nan front lines of nan country’s east were only vaguely alert of American predetermination results pointing to Donald Trump’s triumph Wednesday — but patient successful their hopes for nan adjacent president of nan United States.

Their entrenched artillery artillery fires connected Russian forces regular — and takes occurrence astir arsenic often. Just nan different day, 1 of their overhead nets snared a Russian drone.

“I dream that nan amount of weapons, nan amount of guns for our triumph will increase,” nan unit’s 39-year-old commander, who goes by nan sanction Mozart, said successful nan hours earlier Trump’s triumph was confirmed. “We don’t attraction who is nan president, arsenic agelong arsenic they don’t trim america disconnected from help, because we request it.”

Though Trump’s predetermination throws into doubt American support for Ukraine — and yet whether Kyiv tin hit backmost Russia’s penetration — nan soldiers who usage their Starlink relationship to nan net sparingly learned of the results from Associated Press journalists.

Mozart — who different soldiers Wednesday did not springiness his sanction successful keeping pinch Ukrainian subject protocol and has fixed philharmonic monikers to nan battlefield positions — is among galore Ukrainians who dream that Trump will clasp nan statement connected American support for their country. Russian forces person precocious made gains successful nan east, though nan commandant described nan front-line business arsenic “static.”

It was nether Trump that nan United States first sent weapons to Ukraine successful its conflict against Russia, successful 2017. Those Javelin anti-tank missiles were important to Ukraine’s expertise to fend disconnected nan full-scale penetration successful 2022. But Trump wide is wary of U.S. engagement successful overseas conflicts.

Trump, who has touted his bully narration pinch President Vladimir Putin and called nan Russian leader “pretty smart” for invading Ukraine, has many times criticized American backing of Ukraine. He characterized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arsenic “the top salesman connected Earth” for winning U.S. aid.

Zelenskyy was among nan first world leaders to publically congratulate Trump and said nan 2 discussed really to extremity “Russian aggression against Ukraine” erstwhile they met successful September.

“I admit President Trump’s committedness to nan ‘peace done strength’ attack successful world affairs. This is precisely nan rule that tin practically bring conscionable bid successful Ukraine closer. I americium hopeful that we will put it into action together,” he wrote connected successful a connection connected nan societal level X.

Trump has said many times he would person a peace woody done betwixt Ukraine and Russia wrong a day if elected, though he has not said how. During his statement pinch Vice President Kamala Harris, he doubly refused to straight answer a mobility astir whether he wanted Ukraine to triumph — raising concerns that Kyiv would beryllium forced to judge unfavorable position successful immoderate negotiations he oversaw.

In Kyiv, which comes nether onslaught from Russian drones adjacent daily, 18-year-old Viktoriia Zubrytska was pragmatic astir her expectations for nan adjacent American president. She thinks Ukraine will beryllium forced to springiness up territory successful speech for bid nether a Trump presidency. But she said she preferred that to what she called nan mendacious dream that nan Biden management offered.

“We will unrecorded successful a world of facts wherever we will beryllium definite connected what awaits us,” said nan rule student. “Certainty and nonsubjective truth is overmuch amended than lies and life successful illusions.”

According to VoteCast, 74% of voters who supported Vice President Kamala Harris favored continuing assistance to Ukraine, while only 36% of erstwhile Trump’s voters did. AP VoteCast is simply a study of nan American electorate conducted by NORC astatine nan University of Chicago.

On nan beforehand lines successful Ukraine’s eastbound Kharkiv region, Andriy, who goes by “Rodych” aliases “Relative,” was resigned to nan truth that he has nary powerfulness to power nan American vote.

“We will travel up pinch something” immoderate happens, he said.

“We are a shield betwixt Europe and Russia,” he added. “Other countries do not understand what is happening here, they spot it connected TV and for them it is acold away.”

America’s NATO friends were besides intimately watching nan election. France and Germany arranged a last-minute, top-level defense gathering Wednesday successful Paris to talk nan results, and Ukraine is apt to beryllium cardinal to nan meeting. The 2 starring powers successful nan European Union supply important support to Ukraine to take sides it against Russia’s war.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, citing a “more fierce Russia,” besides invoked Trump’s motto of “peace done strength.”

Rutte praised Trump for his activity during his first word to seduce countries successful nan confederation to ramp up defense spending.

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he had nary accusation connected whether Putin plans to congratulate Trump but emphasized that Moscow views nan U.S. arsenic an “unfriendly” country.

Peskov reaffirmed nan Kremlin’s declare that nan U.S. support for Ukraine amounted to its engagement successful nan conflict, telling reporters: “Let’s not hide that we are talking about, nan unfriendly state that is some straight and indirectly progressive successful a warfare against our state.”

Still, he noted Trump’s committedness to extremity nan warfare swiftly erstwhile elected.

“The U.S. tin thief extremity nan conflict,” Peskov said, adding that “it surely can’t beryllium done overnight.”

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Konovalov reported from nan Kharkiv region. Associated Press journalists Lorne Cook successful Brussels; Hanna Arhirova, Illia Novikov and Volodymyr Yurchuk successful Kyiv, Ukraine; Danica Kirka successful London; and Dasha Litvinova successful Tallinn, Estonia, contributed to this report.

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Follow AP’s sum of nan warfare successful Ukraine astatine https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine