Sidelined from peace talks, Ukrainians watch as Trump meets Putin in Alaska : NPR
Ukrainians fear that not be included in the summit will force the country to make concessions. Russia has rejected the inclusion of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in talks to end the war until an agreement was concluded by both sides.
Michel Martin, host:
Now let’s go the opinion of Ukraine. We will go to Greg Myre for that. He is in the capital of Kyiv. Greg, hello.
Greg Myre, byline: Hi, Michel.
Martin: So you talked to the Ukrainians of this summit. What do they tell you?
Myre: Well, you can really summarize them to two basic responses. Response 1 is that nothing substantial will come out of this summit. They think that Putin is always fully attached to war and will not accept a real ceasefire, not to mention the end of the conflict, so they expect the fighting to continue. Ukrainians who think this way include Olena Humeniuk (PH). She is 46 years old and works under construction. I spoke to him in the center of Kyiv.
Olena Humeniuk: (speaking Ukrainian).
Myre: So she says that she thinks that it is another waste of time that will not produce any results. And then she continues by saying that she thinks that negotiations are possible, but they must include Ukraine. And I will just add Michel, Russia pulled nearly a hundred drones on Ukraine overnight. Six civilians were killed, more than a dozen injured, according to Ukrainian officials.
Martin: Ok, so a lot of people you talked about with don’t think it will go anywhere. What do you mean?
Myre: Well, there are Ukrainians who fear that Putin and Trump reach a kind of arrangement, then Ukraine will be confronted with pressure to accept it, even if Ukraine is not present at the talks. Ukrainians do not know exactly what it could be. This summit was paved very quickly. Managers do not work on a clear and specific program. Trump says he just wants to hear Putin, then decide what to do next. The concern is therefore that Putin will make a very limited proposal, a partial and temporary ceasefire. Our colleague Charles Maynes has just described a possibility. It may look like a nice gesture, but would not solve the main problems that could end war.
Martin: Have the Ukrainians were able to do anything to prepare for this type of result?
Myre: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was therefore in Europe, bringing together support for Ukraine. European leaders firmly support Zelenskyy, saying that no offer can be concluded without the full participation of Ukraine. Zelenskyy and Europeans spoke to Trump by phone during last week. They were therefore able to assert their cause, and they tried to warn him against what Putin could try to do. In addition, Trump says he would like to see a follow -up meeting that would include Zelenskyy. So, anything in Alaska, Ukraine hopes that it will have the opportunity to put pressure later before the decisions are made.
Martin: Greg, before letting you go, Russia launched its large -scale invasion 3 and a half years ago. Do you see a change of opinion in Ukraine when this war comes on?
Myre: Yeah. Michel, we saw two interesting polls this month. A Gallup survey asked Ukrainians if they now favored a negotiated end to war. About 70% said, yes, they would. But a survey of the Kyiv International Sociology Institute asked the Ukrainians if they would accept the abandonment of the territory that Russia now has. Seventy-six percent said no, it is not acceptable. And, Michel, it may seem contradictory, but it makes sense when you speak to the Ukrainians. They tell you that they are exhausted by the war, the longer it goes, the more they are willing to negotiate and perhaps make concessions. But most have not reached the point where they are ready to abandon the approximately 20% of their territory that Russia controls.
Martin: It’s Greg myre from NPR to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Greg, thank you.
Myre: Of course, Michel.
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