MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Let's get the view from Ukraine now. We'll go to Greg Myre for this. He's in the capital of Kyiv. Greg, good morning.
GREG MYRE, BYLINE: Hi, Michel.
MARTIN: So you've been talking to Ukrainians about this summit. What are they telling you?
MYRE: Well, you can really boil it down to two basic responses. Response No. 1 is that nothing substantive will come out of this summit. They think Putin is still fully committed to the war and won't agree to a real ceasefire, let alone an end to the conflict, so they expect the fighting to continue. Ukrainians who think this way include Olena Humeniuk (ph). She's 46 and works in construction. I spoke with her in central Kyiv.
OLENA HUMENIUK: (Speaking Ukrainian).
MYRE: So she's saying that she thinks it's another waste of time that will produce no results. And then she goes on to say she thinks negotiations are possible, but they have to include Ukraine. And I'll just add, Michel, Russia fired nearly a hundred drones at Ukraine overnight. Six civilians were killed, more than a dozen injured, according to Ukrainian officials.
MARTIN: OK, so a lot of people you spoke with don't think this will go anywhere. What else are you hearing?
MYRE: Well, there are some Ukrainians who fear that Putin and Trump might reach some sort of arrangement and then Ukraine will face pressure to accept it, even though Ukraine isn't present at the talks. Ukrainians don't know exactly what that might be. This summit has been cobbled together very quickly. The leaders aren't working off a clear and specific agenda. Trump says he just wants to hear Putin out and then decide what to do next. So the concern is Putin will make some very limited proposal, a partial, temporary ceasefire. Our colleague Charles Maynes just described one possibility. That might sound like a nice gesture but wouldn't address the core issues that could end the war.
MARTIN: Have Ukrainians been able to do anything to prepare for this kind of outcome?
MYRE: So President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been in Europe, rallying support for Ukraine. European leaders are staunchly backing Zelenskyy, saying no deals can be reached without Ukraine's full participation. Zelenskyy and the Europeans have been talking to Trump by phone in the past week or so. So they've been able to make their case, and they've tried to warn him against what Putin might try to do. Also, Trump says he would like to see a follow-up meeting that would include Zelenskyy. So whatever comes out of Alaska, Ukraine hopes it will have a chance to lobby afterwards before any decisions might get made.
MARTIN: Greg, before we let you go, Russia launched its full-scale invasion 3 1/2 years ago. Are you seeing any change in opinion in Ukraine as this war drags on?
MYRE: Yeah. Michel, we've seen two interesting polls this month. A Gallup poll asked Ukrainians if they now favored a negotiated end to the war. Right around 70% said, yes, they would. But a poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology asked Ukrainians if they would accept giving up territory that Russia now holds. Seventy-six percent said, no, this is not acceptable. And, Michel, this may sound contradictory, but it does make sense when you speak to Ukrainians. They tell you they are exhausted by the war, and the longer it goes on, the more willing they are to negotiate and perhaps make concessions. But most have not reached the point where they're ready to give up the roughly 20% of their territory that Russia controls.
MARTIN: That is NPR's Greg Myre in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital. Greg, thank you.
MYRE: Sure thing, Michel. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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