International Editor
GiganticThe Russians and the Americans speak again, as European leaders and diplomats are considering the difficult options imposed by US President Donald Trump.
Without a doubt, the diplomatic diplomatic warning of Ukraine and Western European allies in America has cracked the Atlantic coalition, and may not exceed reform.
Ukrainian President Folodimir Zelinski seems to be defeated by the sudden change in the position coming from the White House, although some of his many critics at home say he should have seen this coming. Before winning his re -election, Donald Trump explained that he would not continue the policies of Joe Biden.
When he arrived in Türkiye on his last trip, Zelinski exhausted the fact that negotiations to end the war occur “behind the back of the main parties affected by the consequences of Russian aggression.”
But it seems as if it was far from the air -conditioned room in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where Russian and American delegations faced each other through the broad and very polished Mahawouni table, to the bitter cold in northeastern Ukraine.
In informants and military bases here in the villages and snow-related forests on the border with Russia, Ukrainian soldiers continue to work as usual-to fight war.
In an underground warehouse at a base in the forest somewhere near Sumi, one of the Ukrainian officers told me that he had no much time to follow the news. As far as it was worried, Donald Trump’s decision to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin was “just noise.”
The leader, whom he only asked to refer to by the “White” call mark has more urgent issues that must be taken into account.
Ignoring the diplomatic bomb that rocked Western leaders, as well as its boss, is the right thing to do for the battlefield officer preparing to lead his men to the battle. Soon they will return to Kursk, to join the battle to preserve the land that Ukraine seized from Russia.
As a condition to reach the Ukrainian soldiers, we agreed to not reveal accurate sites or identities, except for saying that they are located around the city of Sumi, and every part of the continuous battle of Ukraine in Corsak.
In a small room in a workshop placed in a village, there was a huge show to kill the force on the shelves made of panels from the bulletin supported by wooden ammunition boxes.
On the shelves hundreds of drones, all of which are made in Ukraine. Each one costs about 300 pounds ($ 380). The soldiers who were examining them before filling them in cardboard boxes to send them to Kursk battlefields said that when they are armed – and they are transported by a skilled pilot – they can even destroy the tank.
One of them, who was called Andrew, was a drone until his leg was detonated. He said he did not think very much about what the Americans said away from here – but none of them in President Vladimir Putin.
A few hours ago, the drones had destroyed a Russian armored unit advanced in broad daylight via a frozen snow field. Show us the video. Some of the vehicles they struck were flying the red banner of the Soviet Union instead of the Russian flag.
Sumi is busy enough during the day, with shops open and well equipped. But as soon as they become dark, the streets are almost deserted. Air raid alerts come often.
Anti-aircraft guns follow the sky for hours, and Russian drones that cross the border near here to attack the targets are targeted in a much deeper in Ukraine-and sometimes in Sumi itself.
A large mass of Flats has a three -storey hole. Eleven people were killed here in a Russian drone attack two weeks ago or so. Since then, the block has been evacuated while engineers have been afraid that it will be very damaged, which may collapse.
It is part of a housing property of huge identical blocks built during the Soviet era. The residents who were still living next to the broken and unsafe building were wandering in their business, walking to stores or their cars, and severe cold clips.
McCola, a 50 -year -old man, stopped talking to the house with his little son. He lives in the next bloc to those destroyed by the Russians.
I asked him about the opinion of Donald Trump’s idea of peace in Ukraine.
“We need peace,” he said. “It is necessary because there is no benefit in the war. War does not lead to anything. If you look at the amount of lands that Russia has occupied so far, the Russians will eventually reach Kiev, they will have to continue to fight for 14 years.
But there is no deal that deserves its existence, as McCola believes, it will leave Putin and Trump sitting together without Zelinski and the Europeans.
Yulia, 33, was another neighbor, Jack Russell walking. It was at home when the Russians attacked the mass of the neighboring apartments.
“Everything happened in the middle of the night, when we were about to go to bed. We heard an explosion loudly, and we saw a huge red flash across our window. We saw this horror. It was very scary.
“Many people were abroad. I remember that there was a woman who was hanging – she was screaming for help – we could not see her immediately but in the end she was rescued from the debris.”
You think peace is possible, but they need to stop bombing first. There can be no peace except when they stop doing it. It should come on their part because they started this terror.
“Of course, you cannot trust Putin.”
When the last sunlight disappeared, Borrez, retired retired colonel from 70 years old who served 30 years in the Soviet army on his way to his car. He said that his son and grandson are both in a unified fight for Ukraine.
“Peace is possible,” he said. “But I don’t really believe in it. I think justice will prevail for Ukraine. You should be careful.
“While Putin’s presence, you cannot trust Russian. Because they believe in it as if it was a debt. You will not change them. It needs time.”
So what is the answer – continue to fight or a peace deal?
“Ukraine needs to think of peace. But we should not give up. I don’t see any point. We will resist until we are stronger. It seems that Europe is ready to help us. There is no point in surrender.”
Donald Trump, the man who seems convinced that the principles of the real estate agreement can be applied to end the war that making peace is more complicated than just obtaining a ceasefire and determining the amount of lands that each side keeps.
President Putin has made it clear that he wanted to break the sovereignty of Ukraine and destroy his ability to work as an independent country.
Whether Ukraine President Zelinski has a seat on the conference table, President Trump, he will not approve this. If making peace lasts, if possible, it will be a long and slow process.
If Donald Trump wants to distribute quick peace profits, he must search elsewhere.
