Espreso. Global
OPINION

Trump’s perspective on Ukrainian losses signals challenging times ahead

9 December, 2024 Monday
12:06

During his conversation with Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump referred to Ukrainian military losses as “needless” sacrifices necessary for Ukraine’s continued independence

client/title.list_title

Following a trilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's dictatorship in Syria, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump proposed negotiations to Russian President Vladimir Putin to end Russia's war against Ukraine.

Trump emphasized that after Assad's regime collapse, Russia and Iran are in weakened positions - Russia due to Ukraine and its struggling economy, and Iran due to Israel and its military successes.

However, in the same statement, Donald Trump noted that Zelenskyy and Ukraine would prefer to strike a deal and end the madness, as they have senselessly lost 400,000 soldiers and many more civilians. Trump estimates Russian losses at 600,000 soldiers, either wounded or killed.

Trump emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations: "Too many lives are being so needlessly wasted, too many families destroyed, and if it keeps going, it can turn into something much bigger, and far worse. I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The World is waiting!"

This statement, of course, raises numerous questions, particularly about the reality in which the U.S. President-elect continues to operate and what might unfold in this world following Trump’s inauguration.

I would, of course, like to focus on the number of Ukrainian casualties mentioned by Donald Trump. Perhaps this figure lodged in his mind due to certain television programs or media reports he followed during his election campaign.

But what unsettled me wasn’t even that. What truly disturbed me was the word “needless”, which surely requires clarification.

What needlessness in Ukrainian losses is Trump referring to? Were the sacrifices that ensured Ukraine remains on the political map of the world, capable of fighting for its sovereignty, independence, and the safety of its citizens, needless? Were the sacrifices of Ukrainian soldiers, who prevented another Bucha across the country, liberated Kharkiv and Kherson, and are now halting Russian advances in the Donbas, needless? After all, we all clearly understand what Vladimir Putin seeks to achieve through this war.

Not to mention that when Donald Trump speaks of the “needless” loss of civilian lives, he must remember that these people were victims of Russian aggression - Russian bombings of Ukraine, attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, civilian targets, hospitals, and kindergartens. This raises the question: what does he mean by the “needlessness” of these losses? Should all these people have simply agreed to let Russian troops enter their cities? Would there then, as Donald Trump seems to suggest, have been fewer civilian casualties?

However, it’s possible that the President-elect of the United States meant something entirely different - that the war itself is needless, and Vladimir Putin’s decision to start it has, of course, led to needless casualties on both sides. Had there been no war, there would have been no human losses. This interpretation could be somewhat agreeable, though again, it’s a matter of how Trump articulates his thoughts. As we know, it’s hardly news that he often expresses himself so controversially that the White House press office had to clarify his statements during his first presidency. Now, there is no such press office, and the fact that his advisors once tried to dissuade him from posting on social media is well known. Today, there seems to be no one capable of limiting Donald Trump, nor will there be, meaning we are bound to encounter more such statements, which we’ll have to reinterpret ourselves.

But there’s another question: when Donald Trump says that Ukraine and Zelenskyy would like to reach an agreement, he is clearly referring to his meeting with the Ukrainian and French presidents. But what kind of agreement does Donald Trump mean?

A just peace? A peace based on strength, as he mentioned in Paris? Or Ukraine’s capitulation to Russia, paving the way for the absorption of our state - if not now, then in the near future?

And when Donald Trump appeals to Putin, claiming to "know him well" - which, in my opinion, he does not - what is he expecting? That the Russian president will immediately agree to negotiations with Ukraine on terms acceptable to the newly elected American president and his team, terms that would preserve their political reputation? Or is he banking on terms like those we are currently hearing from the Russian president, his foreign minister, and Russian propagandists?

Terms that essentially demand Ukraine’s capitulation. Moreover, under the looming threat of Russia using its infamous Oreshnik, or perhaps something even more dire - something Trump hints at - not only against Ukraine but also against Europe and U.S. allies. Is it truly worth attending the grand reopening of Notre Dame if doing so creates the risk that this very cathedral could be destroyed by a direct Russian strike?

This is, of course, a rhetorical question, but I would prefer a non-rhetorical answer. And here lies the most crucial question - the question of Donald Trump’s entire presidency. What will the American president do after his inauguration? He believes that Russia is weakened by the war in Ukraine and the state of its economy. I have no doubt that his allies are telling him exactly this. I also think the situation with the Russian economy leaves much to be desired. However, none of us truly knows the extent of Russia's resources to continue the war in Ukraine or how Vladimir Putin himself assesses these resources.

So, if Vladimir Putin ignores all these calls from Donald Trump, continues the war, or proposes conditions that are catastrophic for the Ukrainian people and humiliating for the United States - their society, and even their president and administration - what will Donald Trump do in this situation?

Something or nothing? This is the main question, and we’ll begin to get the answer in January 2025. Not immediately, of course, but starting from January 2025.

However, I wouldn’t want anyone to doubt that very challenging times lie ahead. With such a worldview, with such an understanding of Ukrainian sacrifices - sacrifices necessary for our survival - we are facing tough times, a period of adjusting to reality.

No matter what the president-elect of the United States says, the sacrifices of Ukrainians in this war were neither needless nor in vain. We will always remember our heroes, not foreign politicians, even those who help us assess whether our sacrifices were meaningful or not.

Beyond American voters, even if they form a certain majority, there is God, who sees everything, knows everything, and whose judgment in history is far more significant than the opinions of any electorate or the support of any billionaires. We must remember this in the difficult months and years ahead.

Source

About the author. Vitaly Portnikov, journalist, laureate of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine.

The editors don't always share the opinions expressed by the blog authors.

Tags:
Read also:
  • News
2025, Thursday
16 January
10:37
Ukraine reports 124 combat clashes on front, halts 56 Russian attacks in Pokrovsk direction
10:14
Exclusive
Russian troops use strategic reserves meant for post-capture during Kurakhove offensive
09:52
Russia loses 1,480 soldiers, 11 tanks and 120 UAVs in one day of war in Ukraine
09:33
Starmer visits Ukraine to boost defense ties, discuss security guarantees
2025, Wednesday
15 January
21:30
Exclusive
War must extend into 2026, as 2025 could result in Ukraine’s defeat, says Ukrainian commander
21:05
Exclusive
North Korean troops are better trained than Russian soldiers for Kursk battles, captured Russians say
20:42
Ukrainian defense forces repel Russian attacks on Ukraine's border with Kursk region
20:20
Poland allocates €200 million military aid package to Ukraine
19:56
Exclusive
Russia uses fewer missiles to strike Ukraine: Defense Express explains why
19:30
48 combat clashes recorded on front line: Russia most active in Pokrovsk sector
19:00
Australia pledges “strongest action” against Russia after reports of volunteer execution
18:45
Ukrainian army has 880,000 troops - Zelenskyy
18:22
European military contingent in Ukraine may be part of security guarantees, says Zelenskyy
17:59
Russian forces expand right-bank Oskil control near Kupyansk
17:37
Poland ready to host third summit on Ukraine's recovery, says Tusk
17:15
Ukraine brings home 25 severely ill, wounded POWs from Russia, including Mariupol defenders
16:50
Poland’s EU presidency marks key moment in Ukraine’s path to membership - PM Tusk
16:31
Russia to provide gas as humanitarian aid to unrecognized Transnistria
16:13
Ukraine peace deal likely months away, Trump advisers say
15:55
Russia drops aerial bomb on police major’s house in Kursk region – media
15:40
Exclusive
Ukraine Russia war live map, January 8-15
January 8-15 live war map: Russia aims to settle key frontline issues before Trump’s inauguration
15:30
Ukrainian parliament extends martial law, general mobilization until May 9
15:11
Exclusive
Russia achieves none of its goals in Ukraine, loses 700,000 troops - NATO Military Committee chief
14:53
Germany allocates new aid package for Ukraine: what it includes
14:35
Captured North Korean troops in Ukraine face deadly orders to protect regime secrets
14:17
Exclusive
Russian army uses 6 different missile types in massive January 15 attack on Ukraine - military expert Zgurets
13:59
Russia targets Ukraine with Kh-55SM missiles carrying nuclear warhead simulators
13:36
OPINION
China is exhausting Russia in Ukraine
13:18
Exclusive
Russia seeks to establish foothold, advance in Kupyansk direction - Khortytsia troop grouping
13:00
Russia launches over 40 missiles, 70 drones at Ukraine: Zelenskyy on massive attack
12:42
Exclusive
North Korea will refuse to acknowledge captured soldiers - human rights advocate
12:24
Exclusive
Russian forces take control of most apartment buildings in Ukraine's Toretsk
12:07
Ukraine must be part of any decision about its future - EU top diplomat
11:50
Review
Russia in flames: Ukrainian forces launch largest strike on Russian territory. Serhiy Zgurets' column
11:28
OPINION
Guarantees of Ukraine's disintegration: key takeaways from Lavrov's press conference
11:09
EU shipyards repair Russian Arctic gas tankers despite sanctions - media
10:51
Ukraine reports 170 clashes at front, repels 70 Russian attacks in Pokrovsk sector
10:30
Exclusive
Conscription age in Ukraine may be lowered if partners boost military aid - MP Kniazhytskyi
10:12
Drones target distillery near military training ground in Russia's Tambov region
09:54
Russia's massive missile attack targets critical infrastructure in western Ukraine
More news