FT: Ukrainian soldiers fear Trump will cut off U.S. aid and Russia will take Donbas

Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election has left many Ukrainian officials concerned about their country’s ability to keep defending against Russia’s invasion, according to The Financial Times.

One defense official told the outlet that many in the Ukrainian military fear the U.S. will cut off aid to the country and that Ukraine will “at least” lose control of its eastern Donbas region.

“For us, [U.S.] support means life or death. We need to convince Trump to be with us,” the FT quoted a military advisor as saying. An advisor to the Ukrainian government, meanwhile, said he feared Trump could “push the whole world into the era of chaos.”

Some officials had more measured reactions. David Arakhamia, the head of the ruling Servant of the People party’s faction in parliament, told the FT: “Feeling OK, lots of challenges but definitely new dynamics coming.” Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Olha Stefanishyna said she believes Trump can “definitely organize” more political momentum for Ukraine in the U.S.

Oleksandr Merezhko, the head of the Verkhovna Rada’s Foreign Relations Committee, told the paper he was “cautiously optimistic” about Trump, adding, “He wants to be a successful president and success means that Ukraine should become for him a success story, not a story of failure.”