A Deal with the Devil? Trump’s Call with Putin Sends Shockwaves Through Ukraine
For years, Ukraine has clung to the belief that the territories occupied by Russia were merely in a state of temporary occupation—a painful but reversible reality. That hope now hangs by a thread.
This week, U.S. President Donald Trump shattered expectations when he suggested that it was “unlikely” Ukraine would regain much of its occupied land in the peace negotiations he intends to hold with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The comment—made in the wake of a 90-minute phone call between Trump and Putin—sparked panic in Ukraine, where few trust the Russian leader’s willingness to negotiate in good faith. For many, Trump’s words are not just a diplomatic maneuver but a potential death sentence for Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty.
History Repeating Itself?
Ukrainian foreign policy expert Yuliya Kazdobina minced no words in her reaction.
“We already had so many years of negotiations with Russia,” she said. “They play nice, but when it comes to actually making concessions, they never do. Russia is duplicitous by nature.”
Ukraine’s Fierce Rejection
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wasted no time in rejecting Trump’s remarks.
“As an independent country, we simply cannot accept any agreements without us,” Zelensky declared. “We will not accept any bilateral negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine.”
On the streets of Kyiv, the public shares his outrage. Student Nazar Voloshenko voiced the fear gripping many Ukrainians:
“If Trump’s deal happens, we may lose the Kherson region, Zaporizhzhia, and Crimea forever. That would be a disaster.”
Currently, Russian forces occupy nearly 20% of Ukraine—a significant jump from the 7% under their control before the full-scale invasion. Ukrainian officials estimate that six million Ukrainians, including one million children, live under Russian rule, enduring what the United Nations has described as a “bleak human rights situation.”
A Dangerous Precedent for the World?
Volodymyr Sablyn, a Ukrainian battalion commander, fears that conceding land to Russia would invite future invasions, not prevent them.
“If Russia is allowed to keep these territories, it will prove that war works,” Sablyn warned. “It will set a precedent that any country can invade, steal land, and get away with it.”
This concern is shared by legal expert Maksym Vishchyk, who has studied Russia’s occupation patterns.
“What they did in Crimea, they are now doing in every occupied area. Opponents are silenced, citizens are forced to take Russian passports, and children are sent to Russian schools to be re-educated,” Vishchyk explained.
