APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – On Friday, President Donald Trump met with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, with many wondering if there will be an end to the war in Ukraine, including here in northeast Wisconsin.
Olga Heitpas lives in northeast Wisconsin, but as a first-generation Ukrainian-American, her ties to Ukraine run deep. She said the meeting of the two leaders brings optimism.
“The first glimmer of hope that a conversation is moving us closer to a glimmer of peace. I don’t know if it will happen as quickly as everyone would like, but if we don’t start taking those steps, we won’t get there,” Heitpas said.
Heitpas hopes that if Putin is serious about finding a solution, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be invited to the table.
“Of course, that would include President Zelensky, [with] what happens next, because that’s not a decision of any broker of peace, like President Trump can be involved in,” Heitpas said. “What he is trying to do is bring both parties together in a serious way so that they can establish how close they can get to tolerating a compromise.”
Heitpas said that her family and friends in Ukraine have endured the unimaginable.
“People have lost loved ones, lost their limbs, lost their sense of self. What I’m hearing is that there just aren’t any people left to fight.”
Heiptas wants to see her loved ones have their lives back, and that this is not political.
“This isn’t political; we just need to think about the individuals there,” Heitpas said. “They just want to have a normal life.”
