'We do hope America will become stronger': Trump's win leaves question mark on support for Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was one of the first world leaders to congratulate and speak with president-elect Donald Trump following his election victory.

Trump has repeatedly criticized the tens of billions of dollars the U.S. has sent to Ukraine for its fight against Russia. He has also pledged to end the war in one day but never provided specifics on how that could be achieved.

At the one-day EU Summit in Hungary, Zelenskyy said he had a good and productive conversation with Trump.

“We do hope America will become stronger,” he said at the summit. “This is the kind of America Europe needs.” 

“President Trump shows himself and positions himself as a strong leader,” said Ukrainian MP Yevheniia Kravchuk. “So, we hope that a strong leader of the American nation would never let Putin win.”

Throughout the campaign, Trump and his running mate JD Vance have cast doubts on continued support to Ukraine, which is concerning to some.

“If they pull out or reduce aid, Ukraine is going to be even more severely handicapped in terms of trying to fight back against the Russian forces,” said Nick Krawetz, who has family living in Ukraine. 

He doesn’t believe Trump will abandon Ukraine but says his rhetoric on the war has been worrisome.

“It questions American resolve in fighting against tyranny, standing up for freedom around the world," he said. “His rhetoric has totally and continues to undermine NATO’s deterrence purpose as an alliance.”

Canada has committed over $12.4 billion in financial assistance to Ukraine, which has helped the Ukrainian government continue to operate.

Ottawa has pledged to continue providing support to Ukraine moving forward.

“We are here for Ukraine today, we will be here for Ukraine tomorrow and continue to work in close collaboration with all of Ukraine’s allies,” said Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland on Wednesday.

“We recognize that the fight in Ukraine is a fight between democracy and dictatorship and the Ukrainians are fighting for us,” she said.

Experts, however, say U.S. support is crucial.  

“Without U.S. help, Ukraine really doesn’t have a chance,” said Marta Dyczok, Associate Professor in the Departments of History and Political Science at Western University. “It is very worrying, for both Ukraine and democracy worldwide.”

Trump met with Zelenskyy back in September where the Ukrainian leader detailed his victory plan.

Both leaders expressed confidence in their relationship and commitment to seeing an end to the war, but Trump says he also has a good working relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

At an event in Sochi Thursday, Putin congratulated Trump on his election victory. He said Russia and the west have been approaching “a dangerous line” when it comes to Ukraine.