Ukrainians are war-weary and hopeful for peace amid reports that Ukraine agreed Tuesday to an American peace plan to end the war with Russia, but according to a senior Ukrainian Jewish community official, they are skeptical of an enemy that has wreaked so much damage on the country during a bitter three-year invasion.
“If we’re talking about an agreement that Ukraine can live with, then it’s an agreement that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin wouldn’t sign onto,” said the Jewish community official, sharing skepticism that he had heard from many in the country.
US President Donald Trump was not the sort of man that one said “no” to, said the Jewish community official, and he believed that both countries wished to curry favor. Neither wanted to be seen as rejecting Trump’s proposals but to show their enemy as the obstinate party.
Russia was also suffering from the war, he said, and it wanted the cessation of sanctions. The war for Trump’s sympathies could result in a peace deal, and Ukrainians wished for peace, but according to the official, it would require a “miracle.”
The full details of the peace plan aren’t known, but it is reportedly based on Trump’s 28-point proposal. According to Reuters, the plan includes security guarantees but would also place a cap on the manpower of the Ukrainian military – points that worried the Jewish community official, given the region’s history.
Guarantees in return for the surrender of the nuclear weapons
The 1994 Budapest memorandum gave Ukraine guarantees in return for the surrender of the nuclear weapons it inherited from the Soviet Union. Yet Russia, “one of the countries responsible for Ukraine’s security, is the one that started the war against Ukraine,” and “everyone ran away from all sides.”
“We must do everything we can to preserve the army, preserve the strong forces of Ukraine, and not give up on things that could put at risk all the residents of Ukraine and the entire country,” he said. “We are skeptical about this, but of course, we will be the first to be happy as soon as this agreement is closed and there will be real peace and security for Ukraine.”
The Jewish official expressed how the long war has justifiably lent skepticism about Russia’s response to any peace proposal.
“We have lived here for many years; we know the situation well; we also know the enemy well. We have been suffering here for almost four years in a very difficult war,” said the official.
“A lot of blood has been shed here; there is damage to entire families. There is almost no family that does not have anyone close to them who died or was injured or harmed or lost [their] property or home. [There are] many, many refugees who left the country. And [Ukrainians] live in [terrible] conditions, suffering from difficulties here with water, electricity, and energy, disrupting everyone’s lives.”
While Ukrainians had the “strongest desire for peace,” it must be understood “that there is no trust in our enemy.”
“Our enemy fought, invaded, and occupied territories of Ukraine twice, and caused a lot of damage here. And his [Putin’s] goal, as he has said many times, is that he does not recognize the reality of Ukraine at all and is a cold-blooded murderer, wreaking terror on this country,” said the Jewish community leader. “Therefore, there is every reason in the world not to believe.”
Corinne Baum contributed to this report.