Ukrainian officials are hoping former President Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, could be swayed to continue supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia if they win in November, Time Magazine reported on Tuesday.
A senior Ukrainian official told the magazine that they believe Trump might initially cut aid to Ukraine and force Kyiv to make a deal with Moscow but could come around to continuing the proxy war.
“Over time, he will see that Putin cannot be trusted,” the anonymous official said, adding that Trump will realize “that Putin can’t care less about Trump and his agenda. That’s when we could start to see some advantages from Trump. He will not want to be played by Putin.”
The official said Ukraine was hoping for support from European countries and the US military-industrial complex in winning over Trump and Vance. “They can explain to [Trump] why this benefits many people in America, especially in red states. It creates jobs, it supports the economy,” the official said.
During his time in office, Trump pointed to arms sales to Saudi Arabia as a reason to continue supporting Riyadh despite the massive civilian casualties in its war in Yemen and the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
In recent weeks, both Trump and Vance have said they want to end the war in Ukraine. Vance has been a leading critic of the proxy war in Congress since he became a senator in January 2023 and has said the US should reduce support for Ukraine so it can focus on China.
The Ukrainian official said Kyiv is hoping Vance could be swayed as well. “He’s like a pendulum. His position swings from one side to the other,” the official said, noting he was once a staunch critic of Trump.
The Time report said Ukrainian officials were trying to see the positive in a potential second Trump administration and thought he could be more “decisive” than President Biden and not be worried about the risk of escalation.
The more hawkish wing of the Republican Party is hoping that Trump puts officials they favor in top positions in his cabinet as a counterbalance to Vance. Names being floated include former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sen. Tom Cotton, two ultra-hawks who support the proxy war. The Time report noted that if Pompeo is in the next administration, he could be a link to Trump for the Ukrainians.
Source: AntiWar.
