“Our survival depends on American help” Ukrainians react to the election of Donald Trump

Ukrainian leaders spoke of their desperation to get Donald Trump continue sending aid to fight Russia as Vladimir Putin’s forces ramp up their offensive.

There are widespread fears that the president-elect will withdraw from Ukraine following his criticism of the level of American aid flowing to the war-torn country.

The head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, Alexander Merezhko, told Ukrinform: “The election result was quite expected. America is a democratic country, and such political changes are a normal phenomenon.”

The chairman of the parliamentary committee emphasized that “the issue of assistance Ukraine unites republicans And Democrats” and that they can maintain bipartisan support.

He added: “We are now beginning a rather difficult period of establishing constructive relations with the team of the new US President. This is extremely important because our survival depends on continued American assistance.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Donald Trump on his victory in the US presidential election, saying: “I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to a “peace through strength” approach to global affairs. It is this principle that can practically bring a just peace in Ukraine closer. I hope we can make it happen together.

“We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under the strong leadership of President Trump.

“We count on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States. We are interested in developing mutually beneficial political and economic cooperation that will benefit both our countries.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga responded to X: “President Zelensky and President Trump have a long-standing, constructive and results-oriented dialogue.

“We will work together to strengthen the Ukraine-US strategic partnership and bring closer a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. We rely on America’s strong leadership.”

Ukrainian commander-in-chief Alexander Sirsky said in a statement on Telegram that the situation on the front line “remains difficult” and that certain areas “require constant updating of the resources of Ukrainian units.”

Meanwhile, the Russian president has no plans to call Trump to congratulate him on his election victory, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

“I am not aware of the president’s plans to congratulate Trump on his election,” Peskov said.

“Let’s not forget that we are talking about an unfriendly country that is directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state.”

In the UK, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called on Keir Starmer to hold a “Save Ukraine” summit of European leaders after Donald Trump’s victory.

Trump has previously said Ukraine should have reached an agreement with Vladimir Putin before his troops invaded, plunging the region into a bloody and protracted conflict.

“This should have been decided before it started. It would be so easy. If we had a president with half a brain, this would be an easy deal,” he said in an interview with podcaster Patrick Bet-David last month.

Under Joe Biden, the United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, both in the form of weapons and budget aid.

According to CNN, the Biden administration plans to send as much support as possible to Kyiv before Trump takes office.

According to the New York Times, all this happened after North Korean troops first clashed with Ukrainian troops who occupy much of Russia’s Kursk region.

The interaction was limited and likely intended to test Ukrainian lines for weaknesses, the Ukrainian official said.