By SAMYA KULLAB and ALEX BABENKO
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — In Kyiv, Ukrainians dwelling below close to every day Russian bombardment watched with astonishment as their nation’s most essential ally rolled out a pink carpet in Alaska for the person they blame for over three years of conflict, bloodshed and loss.
Natalya Lypei, 66, a Kyiv resident, did a double-take. However the pictures flashing on her telephone display screen had been actual: U.S. President Donald Trump greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin warmly and clapped because the Russian chief approached him, after having been escorted into the nation by 4 American fighter jets.
Trump additionally ignored the arrest warrant issued for Putin by the Worldwide Prison Courtroom that has saved him principally confined at residence or in nations which might be robust allies.
“How are you going to welcome a tyrant like that?” she requested, echoing the ideas of many Kyiv residents.
The pink carpet remedy, the shortage of concrete selections for Ukraine and, most importantly, neglecting the importance of sanctions — a coverage that would flip the tide in Kyiv’s favor — have felt like a betrayal for Ukrainians who’ve borne monumental struggling within the virtually three-and-a-half years since Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Tens of 1000’s of Ukrainian servicemen, the nation’s bravest and most expert, have been killed and wounded, 1000’s of civilians have been killed in Russian strikes, and a fifth of the nation is below occupation, severing households, properties and Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
On Ukrainian social media, memes of Putin and Trump strolling down a pink carpet strewn with useless Ukrainian our bodies had been extensively shared.
Zelenskyy had anticipated the assembly can be a boon for Putin and that there can be little or no in the way in which of outcomes. Chatting with reporters within the days main as much as the assembly, he mentioned it might find yourself being a public relations victory for the Russian chief. Above all else, he was looking for a photograph on American soil — which he obtained in Friday’s assembly.
It was the primary time in a decade that Putin had stepped foot within the U.S., ending worldwide isolation spurred by the 2022 Ukraine invasion; in different phrases, it was a win. For Lypei, whose serviceman son was killed final 12 months, it was like attending one other funeral, a contemporary loss. This time, her nation’s hopes for a simply peace.
“It hurts me so much that my baby died in a full-scale conflict, and right this moment we noticed a brand new funeral,” she mentioned. Her 34-year-old son fought with Ukraine’s 79th Brigade and was killed within the Donetsk area, the very space Putin needs Ukraine to vacate as a situation for a truce.
“I don’t want anybody that sorrow, that disappointment, these tears,” she mentioned.
Natalya Cucil, 60, one other Kyiv resident mentioned she was stunned that Trump didn’t produce any outcomes from the assembly, regardless of his acknowledged efforts to finish the conflict.
“There are not any outcomes and we don’t know if there will likely be, though we all the time count on one thing and hope for it,” she mentioned.
Pensioner Anatolii Kovalenko, 72, mentioned it doesn’t matter what was mentioned between the 2 leaders, it’s clear his nation’s adversary has received within the sphere of public relations.
“Putin received this assembly 100%,” he mentioned.
Initially Printed: