LOS ANGELES (OC).–Public opinion about the U.S.-Russian summit in Anchorage, Alaska is mixed with some skeptics saying they didn’t think it would change anything. Mood on the street as reflected in recent polls shows that Ukrainians don’t believe that 47-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky is working for peace, looking instead to keep the three-and-a-half-year going with Russia indefinitely with his backers in the European Union. Some Ukrainians are downright skeptical that Trump is an ally of Ukraine, instead seeing him as giving into Putin. Zelensky is responsible to for influencing on a daily basis Ukrainian opinion, telling the public that the country will not surrender sovereign territory to the Kremlin. Ordinary Ukrainians don’t know what to think, other that the war must go on until Ukraine defeats the Russian Federation, something utterly preposterous.
Getting support in the EU from French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chacellor Friedrich Merz and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer doesn’t mean that they have a solution to solve the Ukraine dilemma, how to end the war with what Zelensky calls “dignity.” To Zelensky, “dignity” means to get his lost territory back from Russia, something Putin won’t do without some trade-offs or, as Trump likes to say, land “swaps.” “I saw the results I expected. I think this is great diplomatic victory for Putin,” said Nebroev, a 38-year-old theatre manager that knows little about foreign policy or national security. Quoting random Ukrainians on the streets is a dangerous game for journalists trying to make a point, certainly if they oppose Trump’s attempts at peacemaking. Zelensky has questioned who Trump backs in the Ukraine War, despite all the U.S. arms-and-cash.
Trump met with Putin to see if there was a point to a temporary ceasefire without both sides working on a concrete peace deal. So far, attempts at peace in Istanbul yieled little, except for a prisoner swaps, something significant to families. “This was a useless meeting,” Nebroev. “Issues concerning Ukraine should be resolved with Ukraine, with the participation of Ukrainians, the president,” Nebrovev said, parroting back Zelensky’s views. Zelensky complained to the EU that he was not included in the Alaska summit, repeating the same talking points that Trump and Putin cannot speak for Ukrainians. Well, the purpose of the summit was not to negotiate on behalf of Ukrainians but to see whether a temporary ceasefire was feasible. Putin sees no signs that Zelensky is willing to engage in a realistic dialogue and compromise to bring about an end to the war.
Man-in-the street reports don’t tell the story of real public opinion but only constitute a cherry-picked technique by clever journalists trying to advance a certain agenda. When it comes to the war with Russia, Zelensky has sold Ukrainians on patriotism and national pride, requiring citizens to rise up to protect their country, despite the staggering toll on the younger generation conscripted into Ukraine’s military. Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko, a future president, asked for diplomacy to prevail at any peace talks, hoping for an end to the war. Klitschko walks a fine line backing Zelensky, while, at the same time, wanting to do what’s best for the country. Ending the war even it means trading land-for-peace should be on the table, according to Klitschko. Zelensky has been adamant in recent weeks that it’s against the Ukrainian constitution to accept occupation.
Russia has occupied Ukraine since before the days of Ukraine’s independence in 1991 when its was a soviet satellite for the last 100 years. Yet Zelensky routinely calls Ukraine part of Europe when it was actually part of the Russian Empire before the Soviet Union in 1920. Russia has had troops and Russian speaking enclaves in Ukraine for a long time. So, when the Maiden Revolution took place in 2014, where CIA-backed, pro-Western factions toppled the Kremlin-backed Kiev government of Viktor Yanukovych the battle lines were drawn. Putin, who hosted the Sochi Winter Olympics,” annexed the Crimean Peninsula March 1, 2014 to protect his Black Sea naval base in Sevastopol. No one in Ukraine, U.S. or EU ever mentions the consequences to the Feb. 22, 2014 pro-Western coup. Putin now battles for control of Donetsk and Luhansk, two predominantly Russian areas.
When it comes to what the man-in-the-street says about Trump’s meeting with Putin, it doesn’t really reflect true public opinion. Many Ukrainians, like Klitschko, want the war to end at the earliest possible time, even if it means ceding territory to the Kremlin. Zelensky has rallied the EU and his factions in Ukraine to support the war, something Trump has moved on long ago. If Ukrainians don’t think Trump is an ally of Ukraine, it’s because that the prevailing message sold to the public by Zelensky. “I don’t think he is for Ukraine,” said 30-year-old cosplayer [costume street actress] Kateryna Fuchenko, saying Trump and Putin acted like “buddies.” So, when journalist quote street people, it give a skewed view of real public opinion. Klitschko gives the true picture of what Ukrainians really want. They want compromise and peace, even if it means giving away land.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
