(CNN)- With Donald Trump’s re-election, Ukraine may soon have to adapt to a dramatic cutback in US support, which could have a decisive impact on a war with Russia.
Throughout their campaigns, the Republican president-elect and his running mate, J.D. Vance, have expressed strong skepticism about the continued U.S. commitment to Kiev as the war has dragged on for more than two and a half years following an invasion by Russian forces. Additionally, Trump has made comments suggesting that the US may pressure Ukraine to reach an uneasy truce with Russia. Trump’s victory comes at a precarious moment in the struggle for Kiev. Russia continues to advance in the eastern Donbass region, which Russian President Vladimir Putin aims to completely occupy.
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Sirsky said in a statement on Telegram this Saturday that the situation on the front line “remains difficult” and in some areas “requires constant renewal of the resources of Ukrainian units.”
Meanwhile, Russia is understood to be increasing the number of its personnel alongside North Korean forces. US officials have warned that more than 10,000 North Korean troops are in Russia’s Kursk region and are expected to join the fight against Ukraine in the coming days.
Under the Biden administration, the US has provided tens of billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, both in the form of weapons and budget support. The administration plans to continue providing as much assistance to Kiev as possible before Trump takes office. Trump has repeatedly praised Putin and repeatedly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with whom he has a complicated history. Trump’s efforts to use US military aid to Ukraine to force Zelensky to investigate the former president’s political rivals were the main focus of Trump’s first impeachment trial in 2019.
Zelensky congratulated Trump on Wednesday and said he appreciated Trump’s commitment to “peace through strength.”
“We look forward to an era of a stronger America under the decisive leadership of President Trump. “We are confident of continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States,” Zelensky wrote in a social media post. “We are interested in developing mutually beneficial political and economic cooperation that will benefit both countries.”
Trump has repeatedly claimed that if he were president, war would not have started between Ukraine and Russia. He has also promised to end the war, at times even claiming that he would end the years-long conflict before taking office. In July, he said he could resolve the conflict in a day.
During a September presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump refused to say whether he was committed to helping Ukraine defeat Russia. Later that month, he suggested that Ukraine should have “given in a little bit” to Moscow, saying at a campaign event that “Any deal, even the worst deal, that we have now It would have been better than that.”
“If they had made a bad deal, it would have been much better. “He would have made a little contribution and everybody would have been alive,” Trump said.
A few days after those comments, when Trump met with Zelensky in New York City, he emphasized that he would work to get a good deal for “both sides.”
“We have a very good relationship, and as you know, I also have a very good relationship with President Putin. And I think if we win, we’ll figure it out very quickly,” Trump said.
“I think a long time ago, before January 20th, before I take office, it’s January 20th, but long before that, I think we can work out something that’s good for both parties. It’s time,” he said.
Zelensky has drawn up a “victory plan” and said that Ukraine is not opposed to negotiations, but that they should be from a “position of strength”. At a press conference in late October, the Ukrainian president said that “Trump talks a lot, but I haven’t heard him say that he will reduce support for Ukraine.”
Zelensky said Wednesday that at their September meeting, he and Trump “discussed in detail the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United States, the Victory Plan, and ways to end Russian aggression against Ukraine.”
Nevertheless, in an interview with South Korea’s KBS, Zelensky acknowledged that “the next US president could strengthen or weaken support for Ukraine.”
“If that support weakens, Russia will occupy more territory, which will prevent us from winning this war. This is the reality. Our position is not about regional commitments, but about exploring possible diplomatic avenues that are contingent on the US maintaining its commitment. The United States has a genuine desire to end this war quickly,” he said.
Ahead of the election, the US and its allies looked for ways to “shield” support against Trump. Earlier this year, NATO announced it would establish a mission to coordinate the provision of military equipment and training to Ukraine, an effort largely led by the US. The Biden administration has offered Ukraine $20 billion of a $50 billion G7 loan. Which is also financed by frozen Russian assets.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the US political elite remains “anti-Russian” regardless of who is president, and Moscow’s conditions for war talks on Ukraine have not changed.
“Russia will negotiate with the new administration upon arrival at the White House, firmly defend Russia’s national interests and work to achieve all the objectives of the special military operation,” the ministry said in a statement on Telegram. For the post of President.
“Our positions have not changed and Washington knows them well,” the Russian ministry said.
“We have no illusions about the president-elect, who is well known in Russia, or the new Congress, where Republicans have reportedly gained control,” the statement said. “The US ruling political elite adheres to anti-Russian principles and a policy of ‘containing Moscow’.” This line does not depend on changes in the internal political barometer of the United States.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Kremlin said the next US administration could change the trajectory of its foreign policy, adding: “Whether this will be done and how, we will see again after January.”
Anna Chernova and Lauren Kent contributed to this report.