In Kyiv, Ukrainians living under near daily Russian bombardment watched with astonishment as their country’s most important ally rolled out a red carpet in Alaska for the man they blame for over three years of war, bloodshed and loss.
Natalya Lypei, 66, a Kyiv resident, did a double-take. But the images flashing on her phone screen were real: U.S. President Donald Trump greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin warmly and clapped as the Russian leader approached him, after having been escorted into the country by four American fighter jets.
Trump also ignored the arrest warrant issued for Putin by the International Criminal Court that has kept him mostly confined at home or in nations that are strong allies.
“How can you welcome a tyrant like that?” she asked, echoing the thoughts of many Kyiv residents.
The red carpet treatment, the lack of concrete decisions for Ukraine and, most significantly, neglecting the significance of sanctions — a policy that could turn the tide in Kyiv’s favor — have felt like a betrayal for Ukrainians who have borne enormous suffering in the almost three-and-a-half years since Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Tens of thousands of Ukrainian servicemen, the country’s bravest and most skilled, have been killed and wounded, thousands of civilians have been killed in Russian strikes, and a fifth of the country is under occupation, severing families, properties and Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
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On Ukrainian social media, memes of Putin and Trump walking down a red carpet strewn with dead Ukrainian bodies were widely shared.
Zelenskyy had anticipated the meeting would be a boon for Putin and that there would be very little in the way of results. Speaking to reporters in the days leading up to the meeting, he said it would end up being a public relations victory for the Russian leader. Above all else, he was seeking a photo on American soil — which he got in Friday’s meeting.
It was the first time in a decade that Putin had stepped foot in the U.S., ending international isolation spurred by the 2022 Ukraine invasion; in other words, it was a win. For Lypei, whose serviceman son was killed last year, it was like attending another funeral, a fresh loss. This time, her country’s hopes for a just peace.
“It hurts me a lot that my child died in a full-scale war, and today we saw a new funeral,” she said. Her 34-year-old son fought with Ukraine’s 79th Brigade and was killed in the Donetsk region, the very area Putin wants Ukraine to vacate as a condition for a truce.
“I do not wish anyone that sorrow, that sadness, those tears,” she said.
Natalya Cucil, 60, another Kyiv resident said she was surprised that Trump did not produce any results from the meeting, despite his stated efforts to end the war.
“There are no results and we don’t know if there will be, although we always expect something and hope for it,” she said.
Pensioner Anatolii Kovalenko, 72, said no matter what was discussed between the two leaders, it is clear his country’s adversary has won in the sphere of public relations.
“Putin won this meeting 100%,” he said.
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