Cloth patches have been worn by Ukrainian soldiers as a sign of solidarity with the US, but members of the military are angered by Donald Trump’s overtures to Russia.
Ukrainian soldiers are removing stars and stripes cloth patches from their uniforms once worn as a tribute to the US as anger grows at Donald Trump.
Others, like Yura, a former airborne soldier who served in Ukraine’s forces after Putin’s 2014 incursion and again after the 2022 invasion, have tried to find more positive explanations: “Perhaps he is trying to make Putin trust him before he presents a plan that will be good for Ukraine.”.
Some attribute Trump’s hostility to Ukraine as revenge for President Volodymyr Zelensky refusing to fall in with Trump’s demands during his first presidency to concoct political dirt against Joe Biden.
The soldier, who uses the callsign Black, said the badges had been frequently worn by Ukrainian soldiers as a sign of gratitude and solidarity with the US.
