Ukrainians like me have no choice but to laugh at Trump

‘You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.’. Those words echoed in my head as I read on my phone what US President Donald Trump said about my home country, Ukraine. The very same country which was viciously attacked three years ago on February 24, 2022, when Vladimir Putin gave the orders to invade, leading to the deaths of more than 100,000 civilians and soldiers.

But checking social media, I couldn’t help but chuckle as I saw fellow Ukrainians share memes about the situation, attempting to laugh even as the very heart of our nation was attacked. In the last few days, there’s been so much support and mobilisation from Ukrainians who are speaking up publicly, expressing themselves on social media and sharing jokes online.

Trump hasn’t made it easy for us. This dry humour has helped us to deal with the uncertainties thrust upon us this week by America’s president. I’ve lived in Ukraine for 22 years of my life. To hear the man leading one of our greatest allies say to the world that we started the war that upended my life and others was infuriating and outright wrong.

Any Ukrainian will tell you Trump’s claims about Ukraine are not in any way, shape or form representative of Ukrainian views. It’s widely believed that Trump represents Russian views, those of Putin. Our values in Ukraine are so different from Trump’s values.

Freedom. Dignity. Justice. Claiming that our president, who has led the country through three years of war is ‘refusing’ to have elections and is ranked low in polls is absurd. The only thing more unbelievable is that Trump thinks Zelensky is a dictator.

‘A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. This is a slap in the face to our country and our people, but it’s what we expected from Trump. We know his past, we know his political ideology.

Ukrainians know he’s sided with the Russian view of the world. I, like so many others, lost hope when he was elected in November. But his latest comments have seriously damaged Ukraine’s image on an international level at one of the most pivotal times in the war.

Peace talks are ongoing without Ukrainian representatives. Russia has already interpreted Trump’s comments as a personal win – Trump has empowered Putin with these comments. The most concerning comment for myself and my fellow countrymen was Trump saying Ukraine didn’t want to end this war. It’s insane.

To blame Ukraine in a situation like this, when our country was invaded and bombarded by Russia – and to blame us for wanting to protect ourselves and our country?. This is the mass murder of our people. The world has seen the horrific photos of mass killings and rapes by Russian troops – hearing this is our fault for ‘not wanting to give in’ is absurd.

Where do we go from here? Ukrainians need to be in the negotiation process. I’m terrified that the peace deal won’t include Ukrainian interests at all. Trump’s disinformation narratives are just being fueled by his media outlets. His statements aren’t backed by factual information.

The majority of our population supports Zelensky. Trump, and America, clearly misunderstand the war. As told to Sarah Hooper. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: Stephen King returns to X months after leaving ‘toxic’ site to condemn Trump and Musk.

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