KYIV, Ukraine Mother, do not scold me, do not scold me, I do not even understand where I will pass away.
The haunting chorus of a Ukrainian funeral tune echoes through the speakers of a battered old pickup truck, filling the air with a heavy solemnity.Along Kyivs long Khreshchatyk Avenue, time appears to stall.
Throats tighten up, tears fall.
One by one, passersby kneel as the funeral procession passes.
The lament continues.
Oh, strangers will bury me, little mom, will you not grieve? Some cross themselves.
A female sobs uncontrollably.
A megaphone crackles: Kyiv invites its heroes.
For the previous 2 weeks, a palpable anxiousness has actually gripped Ukraine.
Faces are drawn, eyes filled with concern.
Ukrainians have actually enjoyed in shock as their American ally wavered and as Donald Trump released attacks on their country, their president and their future first on social media, then from the Oval Office, followed by the suspension of U.S.
aid and intelligence sharing.Sitting in a caf in central Kyiv, Sofiia, a citizen of Odesa, told The Moscow Times that she has actually felt even worse in current months than she carried out in the weeks before Russia launched its full-blown intrusion in February 2022.
She said she has a sense of complete uncertainty and confusion, and now, after 3 years of war, a total lack of hope.After prolonged talks with U.S.
equivalents in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, a Ukrainian delegation announced they were prepared for a 30-day ceasefire on land, in the skies and at sea.U.S.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, pleased with the development towards an upcoming peace, stated that the ball is now in Russias court and revealed that Washington would bring back previously authorized military help as well as intelligence sharing.On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin stated he would support a proposed ceasefire in Ukraine, but added that it should bring enduring peace and details would initially need to be talked about with the U.S.
before a decision is made.No more hope I feel like Im living in cognitive harshness, says Nina, 31, her big blue eyes filled with tears.
She has actually pertained to attend the funeral of a pal killed on the cutting edge a few days earlier.
I dont truly understand what to consider whatever thats occurring, she states.
Im simply happy with our president, Zelensky.
I believe he handled to maneuver well with the Americans and, in spite of the conflict in the Oval Office, remained dignified and acted in Ukraines benefits.
Courtesy photoA deep sense of confusion appears to have taken hold of Ukraine.
Faced with an erratic U.S.
foreign policy, Ukrainians no longer know what to believe.
I wouldnt say that the U.S.
has betrayed us, states Vlad Ivanchuk, in his 40s.
But something is particular: we will never completely rely on the Americans once again.
Our future remains in Europe, and I understand that Europe will never ever desert us.
Nina fears that these settlements will leave them in a state of limbo and unpredictability.
We are anxious, and it is almost difficult to prepare ahead.
However we continue to trust the Ukrainian forces, and we know we are not alone that Europe keeps supporting us.
Our company believe in a shared future due to the fact that, more than anyone, we uphold the values Europe stands for.
And we spend for it with our blood, she says.The suspension of U.S.
military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv following the Feb.
28 Oval Office clash in between Trump and Zelensky brought this unpredictability into stark relief.
I feel the repercussions personally theres been an increase in shelling and opponent assaults, one Ukrainian soldier tells The Moscow Times on condition of anonymity.If Europe cant compensate for this gap, the outcomes will be dreadful.
In short, theyll flush us down the drain, he says.Courtesy photoBut no one feels confident that Ukraines allies will take the action needed to guarantee their nations security or that of Europe as a whole.
It feels like we have been betrayed, laments Tatiana, a local of Kherson in southern Ukraine.
Western partners are asleep and can not awaken.
They are incapable of looking a few steps ahead to recognize that soon, this war will reach them too.
For now, they are just viewing Ukraine being killed like its some kind of truth show.Hours before Putin stated he would be open to a ceasefire, Moscow launched a new wave of airstrikes against Ukraine and continued its assaults on the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces struggling for days appear on the verge of retreat.How to negotiate?Many Ukrainians share the view that the proposed ceasefire is unlikely to cause a long lasting peace.Even if the war stops for a while, it will begin once again at some time, says Kristina, 25.
Originally from Mykolaiv, she is raising her child, Ilya, alone.
My partner has actually been serving in the army because 2022.
He and his comrades do not even speak about a possible ceasefire.
They dont believe in it.
And they know that absolutely nothing will alter.
Even if theres a ceasefire, they will not leave the front, she says.Katrin, who lived under Russian occupation in Kherson in 2022, voiced disappointment toward Western leaders interest in working out a peace offer, criticizing what she views as a failure to understand the true nature of their adversary.Only those who lived under occupation and continuous attacks genuinely understand who Russians are, says Katrin.
Even people from Kyiv dont understand what war is, not to mention the West.
[The Russians] was available in, they destroyed books in Ukrainian, they literally tortured civilians ...
theyre terrible and soulless.
Yet I do comprehend why people in the West who only understand a really comfortable life cant think of such cruelty exists.Courtesy photoLisa Yasko, a member of parliament from Zelenskys Servant of individuals celebration, shares the extensive suspicion among Ukrainians towards a possible ceasefire.
Weve had more than 10 years of war.
We understand that the Russians have a routine of not respecting ceasefires, she states.
When the ground on the cutting edge gets dry [late March-early April], Russians will go on a huge offensive, another MP said on condition of anonymity.Some fear that a pause in hostilities and the U.S.
rapprochement with Moscow could offer the Russians time to regroup and rearm for a broader attack.Just like in 1936, when they feared Hitler and offered him everything he wanted, just to end up with a war anyway and after that they wondered, How did this happen? the anonymous soldier states, including: You cant negotiate with a tiger when your head remains in its mouth.But Yasko firmly insists that agreeing to the truce was important both to relieve stress between Kyiv and Washington and to demonstrate Ukraines goodwill and expose Russias military objectives.
Zelensky is an extremely skilled mediator and has a skill for understanding individuals.
Emotions in the Oval Office are not productive, Yasko states.
Thats why I believe its very good that he was missing from these negotiations in Jeddah.
At this stage, it is beneficial that conversations are not occurring directly between Donald Trump and Zelensky, but in between the 2 delegations.
Courtesy photoYet Yasko says she does not believe in a quick peace.Nor does Kristina.
Above all, she opposes any more territorial concessions to Russia.
I dont desire my city [Mykolaiv] to wind up under Russian occupation just because Trump and Putin decided so, she says.A November 2024 Gallup poll found that simply over half of Ukrainians are open to territorial concessions, while 38% oppose them.
But you saw what took place.
Trump works out, and that same night, the Russians attack us more difficult than ever, Kristina says.I believe that we will not return what Russians took, states Katrin.
I think that the West spat on all that we lost the lives, cities, etc.Yet twinkles of durability continue amid the confusion, pessimism and weariness.No matter what individuals state, in the army, people are still prepared to damage the enemy its just all working on enthusiasm now, the confidential soldier describes, recommending that morale among frontline troops stays undamaged in spite of diplomatic obstacles and fears for the future.
We are residing in a time of modification.
I would [like to be living in other] times, but regrettably I [am] living today, the confidential MP said.Like MP Yasko, Kristina wants to think in the possibility of peace.
Maybe there will be a ceasefire.
But the Russians will utilize that time to rearm and assault us again, Kristina says.
But we are prepared to attempt, firmly insists Yasko.
At the very least, we have to attempt.