As peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine dominate headlines, many Ukrainians living in exile are voicing strong scepticism about the viability of any ceasefire agreement with Vladimir Putin.
From the town of Warrington to the streets of central London, Ukrainian refugees have shared their distrust of the Russian president and deep concerns that a superficial peace could simply pave the way for future aggression.
A Family Displaced by War
Before the war began, life for Oleksandra and Oleh Fylypiv in the suburbs of Kyiv was just beginning to settle. They had completed renovations on their home and were preparing to raise their newborn son. But the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, shattered those dreams.
“It was hard for us to make that decision [to flee],” Oleh recalls, reflecting on the devastating choice to leave behind everything they had built.
Now, three years and 11 relocations later, the family resides in Warrington, England. Although safe, they live in the shadow of uncertainty, their future in the UK dependent on rolling visa renewals and their hopes of returning to Ukraine increasingly dim.
“It’s not the life we chose for our son, but it’s what we have,” Oleksandra says.
Their former home lies just kilometres from Bucha, the site of one of the war’s most notorious atrocities — the massacre of nearly 500 civilians and prisoners of war by Russian forces.
Scepticism Over Trump’s Peace Deal Claims
Their story echoes the sentiments of many Ukrainian exiles now living in the UK. Amid claims by US President Donald Trump that a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is “very close,” few Ukrainian refugees believe such a ceasefire will hold — especially if it involves concessions like recognising Crimea as Russian territory.
Olha Pavliuk, a former journalist from Zaporizhzhia now working in a cafe in Teesside, remains deeply critical of both Trump’s position and Putin’s motivations.
“I’m pretty sure Donald Trump respects Putin — he likes Putin and he actually acts like Putin, in my opinion,” she says bluntly.
For Olha, history offers little reassurance. She points to the 2015 ceasefire, signed following Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of fighting in the Donbas region.
“In 2015, they got a ceasefire, and after seven years, they started a full invasion of our country,” she says. “So I definitely don’t believe Russia. A ceasefire is just words for them.”
She dreams of one day returning to her homeland but warns that any ceasefire without robust guarantees is bound to fail.
“They [Russia] will prepare even better and attack again and again. We are protecting Europe right now — they [Europeans] will only feel the same when Russia attacks their countries.”
Distrust Runs Deep
Yaroslavna Mishchenko, another Ukrainian expatriate working at a London café, echoes Olha’s views. She speaks emotionally of friends lost in the conflict and the trauma that continues to ripple through her nation.
“There is no family in Ukraine that is not affected by this,” she says.
Like others, she strongly doubts Putin’s sincerity in peace negotiations.
“It’s impossible to trust Putin,” she asserts. “We’ve already seen what he does when people let their guard down.”
In a shift from earlier consensus, Yaroslavna says she believes Ukraine can — and may have to — fight on without US support.
“Is the support from the United States important? Yes. Can we sort everything out without this support? Theoretically, yes,” she says. “We’ve grown up. We’re producing our own drones, we’re defending our country.”
Yaroslavna dreams of returning to Ukraine — either to fight or to help rebuild in peace. But she insists that Ukraine is more than a victim or pawn in global geopolitics.
“We have our heroes, our art, our culture, and our own history. We are not just Russia’s satellite.”
‘Russia Must Pay for the Lives They Took’
For Oleh and Oleksandra, the idea of peace cannot be divorced from justice.
“It’s about making the peace last and having Russia pay for the lives they took away from us,” Oleh says.
While there is gratitude for the support they’ve found through local Ukrainian associations in the UK, the family knows that true resolution remains a distant prospect.
“We don’t want to end this war by just saying, ‘You keep the territories, just stop bombing us,’” Oleh says. “Ukraine still fights — with the help of the United States or without.”
Their words are tinged with resilience but also the emotional fatigue of a conflict that shows little sign of resolution. For them, and for many Ukrainians forced abroad, any talk of ceasefire without accountability is not a promise of peace — it is merely the calm before the next storm.
“Ceasefires without justice are just preparation for the next war,” Oleksandra says. “We’ve lived through that once. We won’t be fooled again.”
A Future Still in Limbo
Despite establishing a semblance of normalcy in the UK, the Fylypiv family’s long-term future remains unclear. With visa statuses in flux and a desire to one day return to a free and safe Ukraine, they — like thousands of others — live in a kind of limbo, watching from afar as their homeland continues to fight.
As global leaders weigh diplomatic strategies, Ukrainians who have lived through war remain steadfast in their warning: without accountability and enforceable guarantees, peace with Putin is not peace at all.
“We know what we’re up against,” Yaroslavna says. “We’ve survived, and we’ll keep surviving — but we won’t be silent.”
