In Ukraine, the Anxious Wait for Trump’s Plan to End the War 

Trump promises a quick end to the war. Ukrainians ask: Can a deal be both quick and fair?

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and US President Donald Trump shake hands before a meeting in Helsinki, on July 16, 2018. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images)

By Brian Bonner

Brian Bonner joined The Cipher Brief in March 2024. He led the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's English-language newspaper, from 2008-2021. He covered international, national and local news for the St. Paul Pioneer Press in Minnesota from 1983-2007.

DEEP DIVE — President-elect Donald Trump’s promise of a quick end to Russia’s war on Ukraine is something that Ukrainians desperately want, as the full-scale invasion approaches its 1,000th day. But they also want it ended on their terms – and they worry that any quickly-arranged agreement will mean surrender.  

“If it’s just fast, it means losses for Ukraine,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday. “I don’t yet understand how this could be any other way. Maybe we do not know something.” 

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