Ukrainians blame Trump betrayal for battlefield horrors

Sam Kiley, The Independent

On the ground, Ukrainians are acutely aware of the repercussions of Donald Trump’s hardline decision to cut aid and access to military intelligence in the wake of his fateful White House row with Volodymyr Zelensky. During the last day of fighting alone, Russian commandos have reportedly spearheaded an assault using an abandoned oil pipeline to sneak behind Ukrainian forces occupying part of Russia’s Kursk region. Elite airborne and marine units backed by North Korean soldiers also launched full-frontal assaults on the Ukrainians under a barrage of artillery, drones and air attacks.

The latest attacks come after Vladimir Putin’s escalated violence was described as “what anybody else would do” by Mr Trump.

And leaving Ukraine in the dark has certainly given Putin a crucial advantage. “We’re losing,” one Ukrainian fighting in Kursk wrote in a text message to The Independent. Meanwhile, in Kyiv, small crowds gathered on Sunday to support demands for the release of prisoners of war captured by Russia. They further marked the birthday of Ukraine’s most celebrated poet, Taras Shevchenko, who fought for the recognition of his mother tongue in the 19th century. Many Ukrainians are defiant at what they see as Russia’s latest attempt to wipe them out completely. And they reacted with scorn towards the help that Mr Trump has given Russia.

“It’s a betrayal. This whole war has been a betrayal,” said one supporter who would only give her first name, Victoria. She recalled the stories she heard from her grandmother of the last major Russian-led attempt to destroy a country that Putin claims “does not exist”. Scared of history repeating itself, she told The Independent: “My relatives, my grandmother, her family, my great-grandmother, all suffered from it; they starved in the 1930s.

“My grandmother told me some terrible stories. How she had to get food... in the neighbouring villages, people were eating people, from hunger. It really happened.” Tetiana Chugonova said her son, Shulga Ruslan Igorovych, was captured while fighting in Mariupol during one of the biggest battles of the current war. She has had only two letters from him, and said he is now a prisoner of war in Russia. When asked if she thinks Mr Trump could help, she replied: “Not really. I think Trump is leaning towards Moscow, towards Russia.” British businessman and scientist Alexander Fergusson came out to join the demonstrations. His company produces FPV (First Person View) drones for the Ukrainian armed forces.

Dr Fergusson said: “I am extremely frustrated (over the Trump administration’s new support for Putin). I have a lot of American friends who, I would say, are apoplectic with rage. “I am here to show my support and that come hell or high weather, I am going to stand with Ukraine.” Meanwhile Mr Zelensky is due to travel to Saudi Arabia to meet with crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in the coming days. Ukraine will also have a team that will stay on in Riyadh as the US begins talks with Ukrainian and Russian officials.

Zelensky wrote on social media platform X: “Ukraine has been seeking peace from the very first second of this war. Realistic proposals are on the table. The key is to move quickly and effectively. “On our side, we are fully committed to constructive dialogue, and we hope to discuss and agree on the necessary decisions and steps.”

But following the latest assaults, the Russians have been able to drive a wedge into the territory in Kursk that Ukraine had hoped to use in any future negotiations with the Kremlin. And with the US now seen across Europe as firmly in Russia’s camp, it is feared the talks may prove to be fruitless.

There are further concerns that Mr Trump’s adviser Elon Musk may try to gag Ukraine’s forces by cutting off the Starlink satellite system, which is the military’s main means of communication. Mr Musk threatened on Sunday to shut down Starlink in Ukraine, adding the country’s “entire front line would collapse if I turned it off”.