The publication noted that the official stance of Kyiv is that Ukraine will continue its cooperation with Washington regardless of the outcomes of the U.S. presidential elections, maintaining a principled diplomatic line of non-interference in American internal affairs.
At the same time, "behind closed doors," some representatives of the Ukrainian authorities prefer a Trump victory, despite his criticism of aid to Ukraine and calls for a swift end to the war, which could be advantageous for Moscow, WP reported.
According to media reports, Kyiv does not see any significant changes with the candidacy of Kamala Harris if she is elected, especially given that the White House has been rejecting Kyiv's requests for more powerful weapons and lifting restrictions on their use to avoid escalation, while Russian occupiers are advancing on the front in the east.
As WP writes, Kyiv dismisses the option of catastrophic consequences in the event of a Trump victory. On the contrary, there is optimism in the Office of the President that Zelensky will be able to persuade Trump, "if they establish a personal relationship," the publication added.
According to an official who worked in Zelensky's office during Trump's presidency, the administration of the Ukrainian president is more closely connected with him.
Zelensky allegedly always saw similarities between himself and Trump, as both came to power with "atypical backgrounds outside the political system" – Trump came from the business world, while the Ukrainian president was an actor and comedian, noted the WP interlocutor.
He added that Zelensky and his team "like simple solutions," and Trump is a "man of simple solutions."
Two other Ukrainian officials believe that Trump's statements regarding Ukraine, although negative, were merely "campaign rhetoric," not a position he would maintain in the role of U.S. president.
However, some Ukrainian officials acknowledged that there could be negative consequences for Ukraine under Trump. They are concerned that the American politician might insist that Ukraine make territorial concessions to the aggressor state, Russia, during negotiations, which the Office of the President of Ukraine categorically opposes.