Ukraine prepares to explain to Trump why the United States should maintain its support

kyiv, Ukraine — As Ukraine prepares for the looming uncertainty of a new U.S. president, officials and business leaders are finding ways to convince Donald Trump of the idea that a strong Ukraine is helpful to his policy goals — and express cautious optimism that he could act more quickly and decisively than President Joe Biden.

kyiv hopes to convince Trump that Ukraine is not a charity case but a profitable economic and geostrategic opportunity that will ultimately enrich and secure the United States and its interests. Ukraine hopes that by adopting Trump’s transactional diplomatic approach — including offering U.S. companies lucrative business opportunities — the new president will help curb Russia’s advance.

Hope that Trump will help end the war in a way that kyiv deems fair persists among officials, despite views expressed by Trump and many in his inner circle that the conflict is costing U.S. taxpayers too much money and must be brought to an end quickly. Such rhetoric has raised fears that Trump could abruptly cut U.S. support for Ukraine’s military and push it to cede territory to Russia.

But officials here describe their frustration with the Biden administration’s slow rollout of aid. Many Ukrainians are largely ignoring Trump’s recent negative comments and instead focusing on the fact that Trump was the first U.S. leader to directly sell deadly weapons to Ukraine.

During Trump’s first term, Ukraine acquired Javelin missiles – shoulder-fired anti-tank weapons that the Obama administration had long refused to sell – which helped prevent Russian forces from seize the capital in early 2022. Trump then highlighted these sales, including the second. came after his call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky became a key point in his impeachment scandal, claiming he was tougher on Russian President Vladimir Putin than Democrats.

“The first weapons Ukraine received from the United States came from a president who hates Ukraine,” said Dmytro Kuleba, who served as Ukraine’s foreign minister until September. He said that despite Trump’s unpredictability, his presidency could usher in an era of positive change for Ukraine.

To win Trump’s support this time, kyiv will have to create “similar situations in which support for Ukraine will be a projection of Trump’s forces,” Kuleba said. “If his goal is to project strength and ultimately say that ‘I’m better than Biden, that Biden failed and that I ended (the war), then selling Ukraine is not the way to go.’ follow.”

Ukrainians viewed the Biden administration’s restrained approach to aid as damaging to the credibility of the United States as a guarantor of global security. They also became frustrated that Biden had publicly expressed support for Ukraine, but when it came to key arms decisions, his team took a conservative approach, expressing fears about Russian retaliation.

In recent weeks, Ukrainians have begun to propose a new era for U.S. policy in Ukraine, involving “peace through strength.” They hope this message will resonate with Trump in a way it hasn’t with Biden.

Ukrainian opposition lawmaker Volodymyr Ariev said he expects Trump to “consider every penny spent in Ukraine as American aid,” not necessarily because he opposes Ukraine, but because he is engaged in a broader feud with the Biden administration.

“If Trump wants to make America great again, it is in his direct interest to prevent Ukraine from being swallowed up by Russia, because that could truly be a point of no return for the United States’ image- United as a global security overseer,” he said.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine’s presidential office, said it would be up to kyiv to explain to Trump the political pragmatism behind its support for Ukraine.

“We must provide Trump administration officials, and Mr. Trump himself, with the most complete information about the logic of the process,” he said. “Today you spend a small amount of money to support Ukraine – on weapons, finances, etc. – by investing and producing. You completely nullify Russia’s military potential and then dominate.”

“I can hardly imagine Trump messing with someone like Putin,” he added.

Yet a lot has changed since Trump approved sending Javelins to Ukraine.

The president-elect is surrounded by an almost entirely new entourage, including Vice President-elect JD Vance, who as a senator voted against U.S. aid to Ukraine, and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who supported Ukraine with Starlink internet access but also mocked Zelensky. and cast doubt on the role of the United States in the war.

A full-scale war has raged in Ukraine for nearly three years, kyiv is demanding membership in NATO – the military alliance Trump threatened to leave – and Putin, in response to Biden’s recent decisions to ease some restrictions troops on Ukraine, intensified its threats. that he could intensify and extend the war.

Observers say much of Ukraine’s ability to influence Trump’s views on next steps will depend on Zelensky’s personal ability to convince him.

“A lot of things are going to fall on Zelensky’s shoulders,” said Scott Cullinane, head of government affairs for Razom, a U.S.-based nonprofit that supports Ukraine. “He will have to take on the role of becoming that personal interlocutor for Trump. …And at this point, I’m not sure any other person or personality can do what’s required besides him.

Zelensky seems to have already accepted this reality. He spoke with Trump by phone immediately after his election victory earlier this month — a conversation that followed a September meeting in which he presented Trump with his “victory plan,” which includes a section on natural resources of Ukraine.

Ukraine sees its reserves as profitable business opportunities for the Americans. He points out that its natural gas storage, the largest in Europe, and the presence of minerals including lithium, could be a game-changer for the microchip and electric car industries – something that could also interest Musk and his electric car company. .

“Control of lithium is control of the future economy,” said Volodymyr Vasiuk, a Ukrainian industry expert who advises the Ukrainian parliament on economic issues. It would be better for the Western world if these materials remained in the hands of a “fairly friendly country like Ukraine,” he said.

Ukraine should take advantage of Trump’s commercial approach to foreign affairs and position itself to strike deals with U.S. companies to exploit its reserves, he said, particularly for lithium. The largest such reserve is in the central part of the country, far from the current front lines.

In total, the country has enough lithium to produce 15 million electric car batteries, although one of the sites is already under Russian occupation and another close to the front line, Vasiuk said.

“The Ukrainian gas market is the most lucrative in the world,” said Oleksiy Chernyshov, CEO of state-owned NaftoGaz, who will travel to the United States to meet with American companies in the coming weeks. “I am convinced that American companies have a great future in Ukraine now, not tomorrow.”

The Trump administration, he said, is made up of people with “more business expertise.”

“I think it’s great that they can consider this. We are immediately talking about millions of dollars in contracts,” he said.

The message has already reached some American Republicans.

Speaking on Fox News last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who has visited Ukraine several times throughout the war, described Ukraine as home to billions of dollars rare earth minerals.

“Ukraine is ready to make a deal with us, not with the Russians,” he said. “So it is in our interest to ensure that Russia does not take over.”

Anastacia Galouchka contributed to this report.