KYIV: Pavlo Nebroev stayed awake late into the night in Kharkiv, waiting for the press conference between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
The US and Russian leaders met in Alaska to discuss Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
From Kharkiv, a city heavily bombarded by Russian forces, the meeting appeared to favour Putin.
“I saw the results I expected. I think this is a great diplomatic victory for Putin,“ said Nebroev, a 38-year-old theatre manager.
“He has completely legitimised himself.”
Trump’s invitation to Putin ended the West’s isolation of the Russian leader since the 2022 invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, excluded from the talks, called it Putin’s “personal victory.”
Nebroev and many Ukrainians were shocked the meeting occurred without Ukrainian representation.
“This was a useless meeting,“ he said.
“Issues concerning Ukraine should be resolved with Ukraine, with the participation of Ukrainians, the president.”
Trump later briefed European leaders and Zelensky, who will meet the US president in Washington on Monday.
The talks concluded without a deal, and Trump avoided press questions, unusual for the media-savvy leader.
Olya Donik, 36, walking in a Kharkiv park, was unsurprised by the outcome.
“It ended with nothing. Alright, let’s continue living our lives here in Ukraine,“ she said.
Hours after the meeting, Kyiv reported Russian attacks involving 85 drones and a ballistic missile.
“Whether there are talks or not, Kharkiv is being shelled almost every day,“ said Iryna Derkach, a 50-year-old photographer.
She paused for Ukraine’s daily minute of silence honouring war victims.
“We believe in victory, we know it will come, but God only knows who exactly will bring it about,“ she said.
Derkach, like many, distrusted Trump’s intentions.
“We do our job and don’t pay too much attention to what Trump is doing,“ she added.
In Kyiv, cosplayer Kateryna Fuchenko, 30, doubted Trump’s support for Ukraine.
“I don’t think he is for Ukraine,“ she said.
She criticised Trump for appearing friendly with Putin.
“They just poured water from empty to empty, back and forth, as always,“ she said, dismissing the talks as meaningless.
Kyiv pensioner Volodymyr Yanukovych expected continued Russian attacks on the capital.
Pharmacist Larysa Melnyk saw no signs of peace.
“I don’t think there will be a truce,“ she said.
She warned any ceasefire would likely be temporary.
Russia has a history of “unleashing major conflicts,“ she noted, referencing the 2008 Georgia war.
“Why does nobody react to this?” she asked. – AFP