People living in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, expressed some relief following Monday’s talks between President Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Donald Trump and other European leaders at the White House.
None of the residents speaking with CNN went as far as expressing optimism for a peace deal, given Russian President Vladimir Putin’s maximalist war demands.
Kyiv resident Ihor Kharchenko said the result of the Oval Office meeting was “better than it could have been,” adding he was heartened by what he viewed as European and US unity against Russia.
“No bad decisions have been made, from what we have heard, for this country and for Europe,” he said. “The diplomatic front now looks like Europe with Ukraine, mediated by the United States, against the aggressor. This is a big plus.”
Looking to the future, Kharchenko and other locals said they couldn’t imagine Zelensky sitting down with Putin for a potential bilateral meeting.
“It is impossible to sit down at the negotiating table with an international criminal,” Kharchenko told CNN.
Larysa Kvitko, a local doctor, said she worried there would be some “hidden pitfalls” in any meeting with the Kremlin, arguing that “you cannot shake hands with a murderer, even at a diplomatic meeting.”
“We really want peace, but a just peace. I believe that giving up our territories is simply a crime against future generations,” said Natalia, a Kyiv resident who asked to use her first name only. “We hope that Russia will become so weak that it will agree to our terms, or that some other miracle will happen.”
Natalia added that the level of support shown by Europe gave her hope, but she expressed limited expectations: “Judging by the fact that Putin is not offering anything, but simply demanding, it is simply impossible. He is offering impossible conditions specifically to prevent peace.”
Another Kyiv resident, Veronika Yerokhina, said she wouldn’t personally give up any territory, but realizes that diplomacy requires “finding a way to agree on something.”
“I don’t know how you can give away your property just because someone wants it. I can’t even think about it,” Yerokhina said. “I think Zelensky is doing everything he can. But I don’t trust Trump. Just as I don’t trust Putin at all.”