Is there a price for peace? And what price are Ukrainians willing to pay?
On Friday, Aug. 15, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Alaska to discuss Ukraine, in particular the prospects for peace.
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Before the meeting, Trump made several statements, including that “88% of people in Ukraine want to conclude a peace agreement.” He also admitted the possibility of discussing with Putin the transfer of Ukrainian territories to Russia, saying that “this is very difficult, because the lines are very uneven, and there will be some exchanges, there will be some territorial changes.”
Details remain scarce, but Moscow is believed to be pushing for Kyiv to concede the Donetsk region – where thousands of Russian troops have died without securing control – in exchange for freezing the line of contact.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would not cede its territories to Russia, as its territorial integrity is enshrined in Ukraine’s Constitution.
Kyiv Post reached out to locals on the streets of Kyiv with a few basic questions:
“Do you expect results from the meeting between Trump and Putin?”
“How do you feel about territorial concessions to Russia for the sake of peace?”
If peace has a price, here are their answers:
Volodymyr: “It’s hard to say what I expect from the meeting. What they will decide, I do not know. I want them to agree to some kind of truce – we have been fighting for a long time. If this is an acceptable exchange of territories that will not affect our country, our independence, then I don’t know. If it is Donetsk, Luhansk, Crimea, which have long been occupied, then this is one story, but if the Kherson region is given away, then no.”
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Ivan: “I don’t expect anything. I think there are two players gathered there who solve their own problems under the guise of world problems. You need to be in a bulletproof vest, helmet, and with a machine gun to answer this question (whether Ukraine can make territorial concessions). I can’t speak for the guys who are at the front.”
Olena: “I don’t really expect anything from the meeting. We have sacrificed too much, and even if we are dictated some conditions that are unfavorable for us, we will not accept them, and Europe will support us. But I hope that Trump will not be lenient toward Putin.”
Lyudmya: “We expect them to agree. I would like – I would very much like – there to be peace. It’s hard to say, but we need peace, we need to agree on something.”
Alina: “To be honest, nothing! Because there have been so many of these meetings, and nothing changes. We’ve lost so much in all of this to just take everything and give it away now. What was all this for? To give up all the territories now?”
Valentyn: “I am against giving up territories. Why? Because they are legally Ukrainian territories! That’s all the reason – the Constitution. We can’t give up our land because it’s ours. It’s like someone coming and taking a cow or a dog from you, just because they want to. This is Ukraine, it is integral, this is our land, where the Cossacks, our great-grandfathers and grandfathers lived. And the fact that Trump says we have to give something – let him first give something to the Russians if he is such a hero. They have more than 50 states? Let him give one.”
Alina: “To be honest, I don’t expect anything. Putin doesn’t want to end the war, and Trump doesn’t have the tools to force him to do so. According to the Constitution, we cannot change our territories, much less exchange them for our own – this is nonsense. The only thing that can help us is money and weapons from the United States and European allies. We are a buffer between them and Russia, holding back the Russians so they do not go further and start World War III.”
Mykola: “Maybe there will be some consequences at the end of the war, maybe some movement toward it – not a complete end, but some kind of agreement. It is wrong to exchange one thing for another. Ukraine is whole, united, and sovereign.”
Natalia: “I don’t think anything will change. Putin will again promise something to Trump, and again, everything will drag on, the uncertainty will continue. Yes, no one likes what Trump said about the exchange of territories – he has no right to talk about the territories of a foreign country.”
Andriy: “It seems to me that this is some kind of staged scenario by America and Russia. Why is Ukraine not at this meeting, if they will be talking about Ukraine and the truce in Ukraine? This means Ukraine must be present.”
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