In Sloviansk, a town just miles from Ukraine’s volatile eastern front, even the tranquil salt lake—known for its healing waters—offers little escape from growing fears. Reports that former U.S. President Donald Trump may entertain a deal with Russia to cede parts of Donbas in exchange for a ceasefire have sparked anxiety and disbelief among locals.
“This doesn’t feel real,” said Mykhailo, a local journalist, as he waded in the lake overlooked by a concrete bomb shelter. “We joke about this being the ‘Salt Lake City’ of Sloviansk, but the fear here is very real now.”
A Russian proposal reportedly presented to U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff would see Moscow gain control of territory it has not yet fully occupied—potentially including Sloviansk. Though Kyiv has rejected the idea outright, its mere suggestion has unsettled many.
“Some of my friends want to stay, but if this happens, we’ll all have to leave,” Mykhailo said. “Still, I don’t believe it will go through. Trump’s rushing into something dangerous.”
He criticized Trump’s apparent eagerness to engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin: “What Trump did wrong was pull Putin out of isolation—telling him, ‘I like you,’ while Ukrainians die every day.”
Nearby, Ludmila, who uses a wheelchair after being injured by a land mine, echoed a broader skepticism. “They lie. All of them. They say one thing and do another. That’s politics.”
A Familiar Fear Returns
Sloviansk has already faced occupation once—in 2014—by pro-Russian forces, before being retaken by Ukraine. Now, as Russia’s offensive inches closer, trenches are again being dug west of the city. But few expected such threats might come not from the Kremlin, but from conversations between Washington and Moscow.
In the town’s only functioning maternity ward, Taisiya holds her newborn daughter, Assol, with a heavy heart. “I saw the news. It would be terrible,” she said. “But it’s not up to us. Our homes could be given away.”
Loss That Knows No Distance
Even Kyiv, seen as safer ground, offers no immunity. On July 31, Sofia Lamekhova, her husband Mykyta, and their infant son Lev were killed in an airstrike on their apartment building. Sofia, three months pregnant, had planned to visit Sloviansk soon to share the news.
“They escaped the war here, but it found them there,” said Sofia’s father, Sviatoslav. Her mother, Natalia, added, “She just wanted to spread joy—but they returned differently.”
Their daughter’s family is now buried near Sloviansk, where Natalia and Sviatoslav stay to provide food and aid to elderly residents. They cannot leave the home they’ve dedicated to helping others survive.
Life Amid the Sirens
In nearby Kramatorsk, the region’s provisional capital, Russian drone strikes are common. Yet life persists among its military presence. On Monday, as a train from Kyiv arrived, air raid sirens howled. Tetyana, weeping, greeted her husband Serhiy, a soldier granted two days’ leave for his birthday.
“She shouldn't have come,” Serhiy said, trying to calm her.
Tetyana brushed aside talk of diplomacy. “My only dream is for him to come home alive. I don’t care about territory—I care about him.”
As the train pulled away, hands pressed to glass, and a child drew a heart on the closing door. The sirens did not stop.
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