As Trump returns to the White House, and Putin’s forces advance – what next for Ukraine in 2025?
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Ukraine is facing an array of issues heading into 2025, underscored by the anxiety of what the re-election of Donald Trump could mean for the country’s future. Tom Watling speaks to politicians, military experts and aid workers to discover what next year could look like.
![[A Ukrainian soldier fires a self-propelled howitzer towards Russian troops at a front line in Donestk]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/12/16/SEI230255504.jpg)
After nearly three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the future of the country’s fight against Vladimir Putin’s forces is more uncertain than ever. Donald Trump’s sweeping victory in the US presidential race, off the back of promises to end the war in eastern Europe in 24 hours, seemingly even if that means forcing Kyiv to cede territory to Russia. Negotiations with Russia, after years of silence, are back on the agenda.
![[Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky enters 2025 uncertain of how long he will enjoy support from the US]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/20/05/11785813.jpg)
This is causing significant stress in Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. As Kira Rudik, a Ukrainian opposition leader, puts it: “The world needs to understand how crucial it is not to end the war on any idea of negotiating with Russia.”. Others in Kyiv are cautiously hopeful that Trump will quickly realise Putin will not be persuaded to stop his invasion, and that the incoming US president will then respond by substantially increasing American support for Ukraine beyond what the previous Joe Biden administration has been willing to countenance.
![[A Ukrainian serviceman of the 118th Separate Mechanized Brigade loads a shell into a barrel of a Paladin M109 self-propelled howitzer before firing towards Russian troops]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/22/15/newFile.jpg)
Former US and British officials have discussed with The Independent how negotiations could play out, but in the meantime, Trump’s great solution to “end the killing” remains a mystery to everyone – potentially even the president-elect himself.
![[Police experts and rescuers load on a special truck fragments of a downed Russian hypersonic missile Zircon, which felt down on a five-storey residential building in Kyiv in November]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/11/17/14/SEI229909607.jpg)
