Ukraine congratulates Trump — but a Republican win will scare Kyiv

Ukraine congratulated Donald Trump arsenic helium appeared to beryllium connected the brink of winning the U.S. predetermination Wednesday morning, putting a brave look connected a imaginable Republican triumph that's seen arsenic a atrocious result for Kyiv successful presumption of subject assistance and, potentially, its territorial integrity.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was among the archetypal leaders to congratulate Trump, who declared victory successful the presidential election early Wednesday greeting arsenic helium led Kamala Harris in projected Electoral College votes. NBC News has not yet projected the result of the statesmanlike race.

Posting connected X, Zelenskyy praised Trump connected his "impressive predetermination victory" and said helium was optimistic that helium and the erstwhile U.S. president, who has threatened to chopped Ukraine backing rapidly if re-elected, could enactment unneurotic toward bid successful Ukraine.

"I admit President Trump's committedness to the 'peace done strength' attack successful planetary affairs. This is precisely the rule that tin practically bring conscionable bid successful Ukraine closer. I americium hopeful that we volition enactment it into enactment together," Zelenskyy commented.

Trump is presently conscionable a fewer votes shy of securing the 270 Electoral College votes needed to triumph the White House, and Republicans could execute a cleanable sweep, winning power of some the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. That would marque it casual for a Republican medication to artifact aboriginal subject backing for Ukraine.

Trump has besides boasted helium could "end the war" successful 24 hours if elected, signaling that helium would propulsion the plug connected Ukraine backing successful bid to unit it into a negotiated colony with Russia. Analysts accidental Ukraine could past beryllium pushed into a "bad peace" with its almighty neighbor, and perchance forced to relinquish astir 20% of its territory successful the southbound and eastbound that's presently occupied by Russian forces.

Ukraine is heavy reliant connected its planetary partners for military, fiscal and humanitarian assistance that enables it to proceed functioning arsenic a state, and warring Russia aft astir 3 years of war. The U.S. election, and the aboriginal of that backing and support, was seen arsenic a make-or-break infinitesimal for Kyiv.

On Wednesday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine looked "forward to an epoch of a beardown United States of America nether President Trump's decisive leadership" and that Kyiv "continued beardown bipartisan enactment for Ukraine successful the United States."

Ahead of the vote, a elder Ukrainian authoritative told CNBC that a imaginable Republican halt to U.S. backing for Ukraine would beryllium "heavily unfavorable for Ukraine" and that portion Kyiv had its "opinion astir the antithetic candidates" it hoped it could trust connected U.S. enactment until it achieved triumph and a "just peace."

Ahead of the Nov. 5 vote, it was wide agreed that a Trump medication and hardline Republicans would beryllium acold much hostile toward granting Ukraine much funding. Trump's moving mate J.D. Vance has been explicit successful his absorption to further assistance for Kyiv, arguing that the U.S. should promote the state to onslaught a bid woody with Russia and that Ukraine should beryllium prepared to cede onshore to Moscow.

In a fiery statesmanlike statement with his Democrat rival Kamala Harris successful September, Trump was asked respective times if helium wanted Ukraine to triumph the war, oregon whether it was successful the U.S.′ champion interests for Kyiv to execute victory.

He responded by insisting that helium wants the warfare to stop successful bid to prevention lives, and that helium would look to negociate a woody with Russia. He did not authorities however a woody would beryllium reached, oregon whether it would impact Ukraine ceding occupied territory to Russia — a concession that Kyiv has antecedently refused to make.

Trump besides claimed that the warfare would not person started if helium had been successful powerfulness successful 2022 and that Russian President Vladimir Putin "would beryllium sitting successful Moscow, and helium wouldn't person mislaid 300,000 men and women" successful the war.

Exact warfare casualty figures are unknown. Neither Russia nor Ukraine merchandise specified delicate information, but U.S. quality estimated past twelvemonth that astir 315,000 Russian soldiers — the immense bulk of whom are men — had been killed oregon wounded successful the war up to that constituent successful time.