‘They don’t want to stop this war’: Ukrainian-Canadians skeptical a ‘fair’ peace plan is coming

Ukrainian-Canadians are skeptical of political back-and-forth amid pushes for a peace plan between Ukraine and Russia.

As the Ukrainian president pushes for a “fair” peace plan with Russia, Ukrainian-Canadians are watching with large amounts of skepticism.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the leaders of Canada and the United States over the weekend.

On Monday, he said the latter is prepared to offer his country security guarantees for a period of 15 years.

It’s all part of a proposed end to a conflict that has been ongoing since 2014, when Russia illegally annexed Crimea and Moscow-backed separatists took up arms in the Donbas.

More than 300,000 people have fled to Canada to escape the fighting.

New Calgarian Anna Tselukhina says she never stops thinking about family members and friends back home.

“We are trying to do as much as possible to keep Ukraine in the news and to keep people aware of this situation,” she told CTV News on Monday.

“We need to talk to people about what is going on, and why giving up territories or just agreeing to whatever peace plan (Vladimir) Putin or (Donald) Trump comes up with is not the best way for Ukraine.”

Despite still advocating for her country, things there have changed since Tselukhina left almost three years ago.

Her hometown of Siverskodonetsk has been occupied by Russian forces, and the hope she might soon return to a similar country is all but gone.

She says she worries about Russia’s aggression “every second.”

“They don’t want to stop this war,” she said.

“They want to erase the Ukrainian nation from the earth, and this is what they are doing.

“And Trump is trying to pursue his own goals in this agreement. He just wants to say he’s the peacemaker … regardless of what it means for Ukraine.”

That last bit is also a worry for Roman Yosyfiv.

He says he’s worried “Trump’s ego” could lead to concessions in territory.

“He is probably just thinking about himself first,” Yosyfiv said.

The U.S. president hosted Zelenskyy at his Florida resort on Sunday.

And on Monday, the White House press secretary said Trump had “a positive call” with Putin.

The president insists Ukraine and Russia are “closer than ever before” to a peace settlement.

Negotiators are still searching for a breakthrough on key issues, however, including whose forces withdraw from where in Ukraine and the fate of Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is one of the 10 biggest in the world.

With files from The Associated Press