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Five thousand miles distant from Alaska, Ukrainians on Friday braced for the outcome of negotiations from which they were excluded.
The talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin were set to commence later in the day, notably without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in attendance.
President Trump had previously suggested the possibility of “land swaps,” widely interpreted as the potential cession of Ukrainian territory to Russia.
Within Ukraine, where public opinion polls consistently indicate that approximately 95% of the population distrusts Putin, a palpable sense of unease prevails, marked by both deep skepticism regarding the talks and profound weariness with the ongoing conflict.
“This issue directly affects me,” stated Tetyana Bessonova, 30, a resident of Pokrovsk, one of the eastern cities whose future hangs in the balance should land be surrendered to Russia.
“My hometown is on the front lines. If active combat ceases, will I be able to return?” she questioned.
Bessonova emphasized the profound emotional impact that discussions of negotiations, land swaps, and boundary adjustments have on those who grew up in the affected regions.
“This is my birthplace, my homeland,” she affirmed. “These decisions could mean I may never be able to go home again, and that I, along with many others, will lose all hope of return.”
French President Emmanuel Macron stated on Wednesday that President Trump had agreed during a call with European leaders that no territorial concessions would be made without Ukraine’s consent. President Trump has also indicated his intention to hold a second summit with President Zelensky present before any final agreements are reached.
However, President Trump’s actions are often perceived as unpredictable, with his views reportedly influenced by the individual he has spoken to most recently. Consequently, there is limited confidence in Ukraine that he will resist being swayed by President Putin, particularly in a one-on-one setting.
Oleksandr Merezhko, a Ukrainian Member of Parliament and chair of the country’s parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, expressed concern that the very fact of the closed-door meeting was detrimental to Ukraine. “Knowing Trump, he can change his opinion very quickly. There is great danger in that for us,” he stated.
Merezhko voiced concerns that President Trump’s desire to be seen as a dealmaker might lead him to make private preliminary agreements with the Russians. “Trump doesn’t want embarrassment, and if nothing is achieved, he will be embarrassed,” the MP said. “The question is, what could be in those agreements?”
Potential arrangements that could lead to a ceasefire have been suggested, ranging from a freezing of the current frontlines – without formal recognition of the seized territory as Russian – to Russia annexing four entire regions in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Polls suggest that approximately 54% of Ukrainians would support some form of territorial compromise to expedite the end of the war, but only with security guarantees from Ukraine’s international partners. Deep distrust of Russia is widespread, leading many to believe that an agreement to freeze the frontlines without security guarantees would simply invite Russia to regroup, rearm, and launch another attack.
“If we freeze the frontlines and cede territories, it will only serve as a platform for a new offensive,” stated Volodymyr, a Ukrainian sniper serving in the east of the country. In accordance with military protocol, he asked to be identified only by his first name.
“Many soldiers gave their lives for these territories, for the protection of our country,” Volodymyr said. “A freeze would mean demobilization would begin, wounded and exhausted soldiers would be discharged, the army would shrink, and during one of these rotations the Russians would strike again. But this time, it would be the end of our country.”
Anton Grushetsky, the director of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, which regularly conducts polls on the war, noted that people from all walks of life across Ukraine were making difficult decisions about their future.
He said one of the most difficult decisions was whether to accept the idea of giving de facto control of some Ukrainian soil to Russia. “It’s 20% of our land and these are our people. But Ukrainians are showing us that they are flexible, they are telling us that they will accept various forms of security guarantees.”
According to the institute’s polling, 75% of Ukrainians are totally opposed to giving Russia formal ownership of any territory. Grushetsky said that among the remaining 25%, there were some people who were pro-Russian, and some who were simply so fatigued by the war that they felt hard compromises were necessary.
“My belief is that the war should be stopped in any way possible,” said Luibov Nazarenko, 70, a retired factory worker from Donetsk region, in Ukraine’s east.
“The further it goes, the worse it becomes,” she said. “The Russians have already occupied the Kherson region and they want Odesa. All this must be stopped, so the youth do not die.”
Nazarenko, whose son could be called up to fight, said she believed that three years into the war, with hundreds of thousands of dead and wounded on the Ukrainian side alone, the preservation of life superseded all concerns over land.
“I just don’t want people to die,” she said. “Not the youth, not the old people, not the civilians who live on the frontline.”
On Friday, as the clock ticked down to the beginning of the talks in Alaska, Ukrainians were celebrating the holy day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a day when she is believed to hear the prayers of all those in need.
At St Michael’s Monastery, a church in central Kyiv, priest Oleksandr Beskrovniy led a prayer service for several dozen people. Afterwards, he expressed the difficulty in finding words to describe the unfairness of the coming talks, calling the exclusion of Zelensky a “great injustice and madness.”
Like others, the priest recognized the grim reality facing Ukraine – that it was not in a position to recapture its stolen territory by force. Therefore, some deal would need to be made, but he emphasized that it should be considered less in terms of land and more in terms of people.
“If we are forced to cede territory – if the world allows this – the most important thing is that we gather all of our people. The world must help us get our people out.”
The priest said that his prayers on Friday did not directly reference the talks in Alaska, and that he made “no names or places of meetings”.
But he prayed for the future strength of Ukraine, both “on the frontline, and in the diplomatic space.”
Additional reporting by Daria Mitiuk.
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