Ukrainians believe that Russia is not interested in ending the war and will not make any concessions despite the talks.
Kyiv residents have voiced concern after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke positively about his phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and suggested a swift resolution to the war—potentially by conceding Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory to Moscow.
“For Ukrainians, this is a negative sign. And I think that no one will just let it go,” said Oleksandr Sokhatskyi, a financial consultant in Kyiv, speaking to CNN on Thursday about the possibility of Ukraine losing land to Russia. “Or maybe (the United States and Russia) are just testing whether we will accept it in silence or respond with opposition.”
While some Ukrainians expressed hope for a fair peace deal, few believed it was likely. Many feared that Putin was influencing Trump, steering him toward a settlement favorable to Moscow.
“Trump said the war would be over in 24 hours and it’s been a while. I don’t see any prospect (of ending the war) anytime soon,” said 70-year-old Liudmyla Bilozerova.
“I would like to believe that everything will work out. Ukraine wants peace. This is the most important thing,” added Viktor, a pensioner. “It’s bad that they bypass Ukraine, negotiate with Putin, and the EU isn’t invited to the talks.”
“The surrender of territory is the most sensitive issue,” Viktor said, stressing that Ukrainians want to return to the borders the country enjoyed after its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 until 2014, when Russia seized Crimea. “We cannot understand what they (Putin and Trump) are talking about behind our backs.”
Trump’s phone call with Putin sparked concerns across Europe that he might push for a deal unfavorable to Kyiv. When asked on Wednesday whether he considers Ukraine an equal partner in the peace process, Trump hesitated, responding, “Um, that’s an interesting question.”
Earlier, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told NATO defense ministers that Ukraine’s NATO membership was unrealistic, as was the prospect of reclaiming all the territory Russia has annexed since its initial invasion in 2014.
“We know that Russia is highly deceptive—they can pretend to cooperate, but when it comes to real concessions and peace agreements, they never follow through,” said Yuliya Kazdobina of the Kyiv-based foreign policy think tank Ukrainian Prism. “No matter how much we want peace, I don’t think it’s possible because Russia hasn’t changed its stance and won’t.”
Sokhatskyi echoed these concerns, emphasizing the cost of war: “Given how many lives have already been lost, ending the war on someone else’s terms would dishonor those sacrifices. Why did our soldiers die defending these territories if we are to give them up now? We must not surrender our land—it would mean forgetting those who fought and fell for it.”
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Four years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war can be measured not only in lives and territory, but in money. In Part One, the war’s cost was measured in casualties and kilometres. In Part Two, it is measured in billions of dollars.
Four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the war is no longer defined by shock but by scale.
Ukraine could export several billion dollars of military equipment and services this year after authorising its first wartime foreign sales, a senior government official said. The country is also considering introducing a tax on arms exports.
Russia has outlined potential areas for economic cooperation with the Trump administration, including a possible return to using the U.S. dollar in bilateral dealings, Bloomberg News reported, citing an internal Kremlin memo.
Follow the latest developments and global reaction after the U.S. and Israel launched “major combat operations” in Iran, prompting retaliation from Tehran.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
The Middle East crisis intensifies after the deadly attack on the compound of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei on Saturday that killed him, other family members and senior figures. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has moved into a pivotal constitutional role following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, becoming the clerical member of Iran’s temporary leadership council under Article 111 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton told lawmakers that President Donald Trump told him he had "some great times" with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein before their relationship soured, according to a video released on Monday (2 March).
The U.S.-Iran crisis has entered its third day, with further strikes reported across the Middle East and the death toll rising. Oil prices have surged to levels last seen during the Covid-19 pandemic, raising fears of economic disruption and higher prices worldwide.
The UK said it's allowing the U.S. to use its bases for defensive strikes against Iran amid escalating missile attacks, after a suspected drone strike hit a British airbase in southern Cyprus, causing limited damage.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
European Union stands with its member states in the face of any threat, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in response to the drone strike that hit Britain's Royal Air Force base of Akrotiri in southern Cyprus overnight.
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