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

By LORI HINNANT and YEHOR KONOVALOV

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

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

“I anticipation that the quantity of weapons, the quantity of guns for our triumph volition increase,” the unit’s 39-year-old commander, who goes by the sanction Mozart, said successful the hours earlier Trump’s triumph was confirmed. “We don’t attraction who is the president, arsenic agelong arsenic they don’t chopped america disconnected from help, due to the fact that we request it.”

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

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

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

Trump, who has touted his bully narration with President Vladimir Putin and called the Russian person “pretty smart” for invading Ukraine, has repeatedly 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 the archetypal satellite leaders to publically congratulate Trump and said the 2 discussed however to extremity “Russian aggression against Ukraine” erstwhile they met successful September.

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

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

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

“We volition unrecorded successful a satellite of facts wherever we volition beryllium definite connected what awaits us,” said the instrumentality student. “Certainty and nonsubjective information is overmuch amended than lies and beingness successful illusions.”

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

On the beforehand lines successful Ukraine’s eastbound Kharkiv region, Andriy, who goes by “Rodych” oregon “Relative,” was resigned to the information that helium has nary powerfulness to power the American vote.

“We volition travel up with something” immoderate happens, helium said.

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

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

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

Rutte praised Trump for his enactment during his archetypal word to transportation countries successful the confederation to ramp up defence spending.

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

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

Still, helium noted Trump’s committedness to extremity the warfare swiftly erstwhile elected.

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

Konovalov reported from the 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.

Originally Published: November 6, 2024 astatine 7:24 AM EST