Donald Trump's threats against Vladimir Putin are no longer taken seriously in Ukraine, and Volodymyr Zelensky's absence from the August 15 meeting has come as a shock. Many in Kyiv are convinced that Russia will never give up on taking control of the entire country.

Many Ukrainians and experts believe Russia’s Putin will seek to dupe Trump while expanding gains in eastern Ukraine.

While most of President Volodymyr Zelensky's fellow citizens hope for a swift political resolution to the war, Russia's maximalist demands and Donald Trump's unpredictability have…