Reuters
[ Source : Reuters ]
As Donald Trump’s second term as U.S. president dawns, Ukrainian soldiers and civilians see a hard road ahead in their war with Russia, and many have come to hope for a ceasefire without expelling Russian forces.
Trump’s aides have conceded that a deal to end the war could take months or longer, although the president-elect boasted on the campaign trail that he would quickly reach a settlement to stop the fighting triggered by Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Some Ukrainians fear they could be forced to make massive concessions after three years of brutal combat along a 1,000-km (600-mile) front line.
While Kyiv has sustained heavy casualties and months of Russian advances, it is unclear whether Trump will maintain his predecessor’s supply of U.S. weaponry.
“There is a really big deficit of people. There are many demoralising factors in the news,” said a strike drone pilot from Ukraine’s 113th Territorial Defence Brigade, who asked to be identified by his battlefield callsign “Hell”.
