Could this be the year, as President-elect Donald J. Trump has promised, when Russia’s war against Ukraine ends?

The possibility of peace brings “tears to my eyes,” said Valeria, 30, an English teacher from eastern Ukraine.

Like Trump plans to return to the White House on Monday, promising peace in Ukrainebut publicly offered no means of achieving it – aside from his desire to meet with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin. So Ukrainians can only imagine what the coming months will bring.

No one, Valeria said, wants peace more than the people of Ukraine. But after losing so much, with hundreds of thousands killed and injured, the Ukrainian people will not accept peace at any price, he said. He asked that his family name not be used for fear of protecting his father, who remains in Russian custody.

“Europe and America must remember that any ceasefire or negotiation is only valid if they respect the Ukrainian people’s commitments and ensure a better, secure and independent future for Ukraine,” he said.

Since Trump won the election in November, the New York Times has spoken to many Ukrainians — soldiers on the front lines, villagers forced to flee their homes and residents of cities far from the war zone but under shelling. – about them. expectations and fears before they are established.

Many people are disillusioned – frustrated by what some see as an overly conservative approach by the Biden administration, and have endured months of delays in receiving American military aid since last year’s congressional hearings. The war is still on, with Ukraine facing a powerful enemy and heavily dependent on American military support.

The Trump administration, many agree, has brought about change. But many are worried that the transition will not be successful, especially if military aid is not provided.

“Some say this is the end of Ukraine,” said Anna, 29, an artist who asked not to use her name for fear of Russian harassment online. “But since I see him as an unstable person,” he said of Trump, “I can’t say for sure.”

“I hope for justice and that Russia will face whatever problems it has committed,” he added.

On the front lines, soldiers are often said not only to defend their home but to stand as a shield to protect the rest of Europe against the reformist Russian government.

Maj. Yaroslav Galas, 53, who is serving in the 128th Transcarpathian Mountain Assault Brigade, said he thought Mr.

“Trump understands that Russia’s victory and Ukraine’s defeat is a defeat for the United States and a defeat for him as president,” he said. “This is how the world will see it.”

Andrii, a 44-year-old veteran of the Kursk region of Russia, said that every Ukrainian had faced so many dangers that the end of the war could not come soon.

“War is terrible, and it has to end,” he said, asking that his name not be used in connection with the war plan of the soldiers interviewed at the front. “Maybe Trump will do something.”

But if Trump stops military aid as a way to force Kyiv to accept a bad deal, he said, it won’t happen as expected.

“It’s going to be bad,” he said. “It will turn into a guerrilla war.”

“We will not give up,” he said. “Many good people will die.”

Andrii was a rural businessman in the border town of Sumy when the Russians crossed in February 2022. He hid his four children, said he picked up a gun and hasn’t put it down since.

He said: “We did things systematically and started fighting them.” “We pushed them out of the city, we set up checkpoints, and they did not pass. There was no government, but ordinary people were planning and doing it.”

Despite the political conflict and civil unrest in Ukraine it has grown since the beginning of the war, he believes that the people will come together again when there is a great disaster ahead.

In a cemetery outside the city of Sumy this month, rows upon rows of blue and gold Ukrainian flags flutter in the cold wind.

Kateryna Zakharuk, 25, sat next to the grave of her husband, Ivan.

When his village was captured by Russian troops in the early days of the war, he joined forces with friends to fight behind enemy lines, burning Russian ammunition depots and capturing prisoners, he said.

The Russians were again driven across the border, and Ivan joined the army. He was killed on Feb. 17, 2024.

Ms. Zakharuk visits his grave every week, she said.

“My friend’s brother, who was also Ivan’s friend, was buried,” he said, pointing to the headstone. “My brother is buried there. A young man from my village has been buried there. There are many knowledgeable people here.”

He saw how the Russian army had destroyed entire cities, leaving nothing but ashes, and worried that Sumy would suffer the same without American help.

“Not only are people’s lives destroyed,” he said, “but all memories are destroyed.”

Valeria, an English teacher, said that her hometown had already been destroyed. His family is from Kreminna, in eastern Ukraine, which has been under Russian control since the start of the war.

His father is still there; He hasn’t seen her in years.

He said: “I don’t know if I will see him again.” “As blasphemous as it sounds, even though he’s alive, a part of me already said goodbye to him.”

He added that he does not know what Trump will do, but he hopes that Ukraine “will have an important voice in important decisions such as our future, especially in matters of war and peace.”

“Unfortunately,” he said, “there is a growing feeling that the future of Ukrainian citizens is often discussed without our participation.”

Liubov Sholudko and Anna Lukinova contributed reports.