Olga Rudenko, chief editor of the Kyiv Impartial, talks about how Ukrainians view President Trump’s shift from praising Vladimir Putin to backing Ukraine’s full territorial restoration, and what it may imply for the warfare.
ANDREW LIMBONG, HOST:
This week, President Trump made an enormous geopolitical pivot. Writing on his platform, Reality, Social, Trump stated he believes Ukraine can win the warfare in opposition to Russia and regain all of its misplaced territory. The announcement got here after Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the U.N. Normal Meeting, and it is a fairly gorgeous reversal for Trump. Prior to now, he is praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, and he quickly paused assist to Ukraine earlier this 12 months. So how are Ukrainians feeling in regards to the U.S. president’s shift? Olga Rudenko is the chief editor for the Kyiv Impartial, and she or he joins us now. Olga, welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
OLGA RUDENKO: Hello. Hello, Andrew. Thanks for having me.
LIMBONG: I need to begin with that query I simply posed. How was this information acquired in Ukraine? Have been you stunned?
RUDENKO: Oh, I imply, how are you going to not be stunned at that? It was gorgeous, as you stated, I imply, for President Trump to make such a giant U-turn. I keep in mind very vividly when he made his first clearly pro-Russian assertion. That was a really huge factor right here. We have been devastated that night as a result of the worst expectations have been coming true. And now he is – , all these months later, he is immediately making a very totally different assertion. So, I imply, I believe we’re viewing it with some cautious optimism.
LIMBONG: Yeah. What have you ever heard personally from, like, mates, household and associates?
RUDENKO: I imply, I’ve to say, Ukrainians are coping with the whole lot associated to the warfare with quite a lot of humor. So this newest assertion by Trump was – , quite a lot of jokes and memes circulated on Ukrainian social media within the days after, particularly in regards to the a part of the assertion that stated that Ukraine can win over its territories again and even go additional, so jokes about, like, taking Russian territory, that are clearly simply jokes.
LIMBONG: Yeah.
RUDENKO: So it form of – I believe it was a temper booster for everyone, a little bit bit.
LIMBONG: Yeah, effectively, , simply final month after assembly with Putin in Alaska, Trump stated that Ukraine would want to surrender land to be able to attain a peace deal, and now he is saying the other. How carefully do Ukrainians comply with this kind of, like, forwards and backwards of what worldwide leaders are saying in regards to the warfare?
RUDENKO: I imply, I can say that Ukrainians comply with all people, however positively comply with Trump and comply with what he says. I imply, to be sincere, after I first noticed this assertion, this newest one the place he made this U-turn, I needed to double test that it is actual, or moderately triple test. I needed to go to True Social, which, by the best way, just isn’t accessible in Ukraine. You need to undergo a VPN. You realize, I needed to see it with my very own eyes as a result of it was so unusual.
However on the similar time, , the place has modified so many occasions. And there are such a lot of mornings right here in Ukraine the place we gathered in our newsroom on the Kyiv Impartial, and, , the very first thing on the agenda was to – like, attempting to make sense of one thing that Trump stated associated to the warfare or to Ukraine or to Russia and attempting to clarify it to our readers.
LIMBONG: Yeah. Now, Trump stated that the U.S. would proceed to provide weapons to NATO, however provided few specifics. And shortly afterwards, Polish President Donald Tusk warned that this might sign a shift of accountability for ending the warfare to Europe. What do you make of that view?
RUDENKO: The principle factor we’re watching is Russia’s provocations in opposition to Europe and in opposition to NATO, particularly prior to now couple of days, with Russia violating airspace of a number of international locations, significantly Denmark and the Baltics. We’re carefully watching the – each how the U.S. treats this, but in addition what our neighbors in Poland say. To this point, the response to all of the Russian provocations in Europe has been, in our view, fairly timid and fairly cautious, and it has been bolstering Russia and emboldening to proceed.
LIMBONG: Firstly of the warfare, there gave the impression to be a fairly robust sense of hope and optimism in Ukraine – proper? – regardless of Russia’s assaults. Do you continue to see and really feel that optimism amongst on a regular basis Ukrainians?
RUDENKO: I imply, it’s, in fact, totally different now, particularly from the start of 2022, as a result of that was a singular – utterly distinctive time. There was a wierd, virtually surreal pleasure and unity within the air of a folks which might be going by way of an surprising horrible tragedy collectively and demonstrating resilience and hope. And it’s totally different now, however it’s nonetheless the identical folks. It is nonetheless the identical Ukrainians. It is nonetheless – the resilience remains to be there.
However there may be, in fact, quite a lot of exhaustion. I do not know the way apparent it’s to folks within the U.S., for instance, however the warfare is not only targeting the frontline. Russia is continually, continuously each night time attacking civilian cities which might be approach away from the frontline. Like, Kyiv is struggling virtually each night time from Russian drones and missiles. However to date, even the polls present that also, nearly all of Ukrainians are in opposition to an answer to the warfare that offers something in any respect to Russia. So that’s, for me, a giant marker of the hope remains to be there and nonetheless robust.
LIMBONG: Olga Rudenko is the chief editor of the Kyiv Impartial. Olga, thanks a lot for becoming a member of us.
RUDENKO: Thanks for having me.
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