What do people in Kharkiv think about the "peace plan" and the course of negotiations?
"What do people in Kharkiv think about the 'peace plan' and the progress of the negotiations?" asked the correspondent from the European publication.
Honestly? They don't think about anything. I've never once heard anyone in the queue at the spring (there's no water) discussing another one of Trump's "tweets."
I personally think: how do I lift this twenty-liter jerrycan of water to the seventeenth floor (the elevator is not working).
My friend Sveta is thinking about how to cook dinner for five people using a small camping stove. And Marina went to dry her hair at the post office – there's a generator there.
"I have a job interview tonight," says Marina, "I can't go with wet hair."
The last thing Marina thinks about is how Vitkoff looked at Putin. Eagerly or not. Marina is looking for a job because her previous job is no more – the office is in ruins.
Today, the "auntie" who announces over the loudspeaker what is flying towards the city: "aerial bombs," "drones," or "missiles," wanted to announce the all-clear but didn't finish. She stopped at the last syllable:
– The air raid alert has been called off…
She didn't have time to say "hi," the alarm blared again. I'm not exaggerating: not even a second passed between the all-clear and the new "surge" (as Kharkiv residents call the start of an alarm).
We say "good morning" to each other if no one died in the city during the night. And while all the channels were broadcasting the captured Rubio talking about "the most fruitful negotiations," in Kharkiv everyone was watching rescuers try to pull still-living people from under the rubble.
I'm not saying that we are so busy with survival that we are not interested in world events. We are interested. But in a different way.
For example, sounds are very important to us. Did everyone hear the new one last night? Tell me, was it scary?! This sound was discussed in chats much more emotionally than any statement by Macron.
We are not ignorant, it's true. I'm trying to explain that in frontline cities, the perspective is a little different. From here, everything is seen through the flashes of Russian drones, through destroyed buildings, through the endless funerals of acquaintances.
The world community wants to say, "Give us Tomahawks and go away," but that's impolite. And if some diplomatic dialogue about a real ceasefire and security guarantees comes out of it, that's great; we'll consider it an unexpected bonus.
In the meantime, we're holding on, supporting the Armed Forces, and decorating Christmas trees.
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