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CIA Director John Ratcliffe on March 25 gave a rousing assessment of Kyiv's desire to achieve an acceptable and lasting peace in Ukraine, insisting its people and armed forces would fight Russia with "their bare hands" if they had to.
"I want to say that with regard to the Ukrainian resistance, the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian military have been underestimated for a period of several years now," Ratcliffe said.
"From my reflections in observing, from an intelligence standpoint, I'm convinced that they will fight with their bare hands if they have to, if they don't have terms that are acceptable to an enduring peace."
His comments came amid U.S. President Donald Trump's ongoing efforts to broker a ceasefire and a broader peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, a process which so far appears to be favoring Moscow's goals over Kyiv's.
While there is no indication at present that the U.S. intends to end military support for Ukraine, it has already paused it briefly during the peace talks process.
Adding to nervousness in Ukraine about what a peace deal could look like, comments last week from U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, suggest the White House views occupied Ukrainian territories as part of Russia, something that Kyiv has said it could not agree to.
If an unacceptable peace deal is forced upon Ukraine, and it decides it has no choice to keep on fighting potentially without U.S. support and only "with their bare hands," the country's soldiers will have to carry out this order.
The Kyiv Independent asked five Ukrainian soldiers how they feel about the prospect. Some of them are only identified by callsign due to security reasons.
'Architect,' drone operator
I am sure most of us will stay no matter what. This is a tough topic when talking to relatives — such talks always boil down to the "When will you return home?" question.
It is necessary to stay. It is necessary to fight. It's not that I want to spend more years in the army, I just realized it's better to out push the Russians now. To finish and forget.
"It is better to end the war, spending a few more years on it, than prolong it for the rest of our lives and the lives of our children."
If there is a real ceasefire at the front and we could have a rotation and some rest for a year or two at home, I would agree. Who wouldn't want to take a break?
But I understand — and whoever hasn't realized it yet should admit to themselves — that the war will not end as long as Russia has the resources for it. It will always have the desire. For Russia, war is fine, as is killing, stealing, and occupying.
Therefore, it is better to end the war, spending a few more years on it, than prolong it for the rest of our lives and the lives of our children.
We can fight and are already doing it. It's just the Western world, as one collective draft dodger, wants to close its eyes and expect everything to be resolved when it opens them.
Serhii Koniukh, military anesthetist, medical forces command
I agree with (Ratcliffe) — everyone said Ukraine would last three days and then everyone would scatter, but as you can see, we’re now in the fourth year.
And at the beginning, the aid was minimal — Javelins, NLAWs, Bayraktars. Of course, this isn’t the same war as three years ago — we depend a lot on U.S. assistance, especially air defense and shells.
But now we’re in the era of drone warfare, and we are the number one drone producer in the world. Nowadays, even the most advanced tank won’t last more than a few minutes on the battlefield against a drone operator — even if he’s hungover — who will still hit that massive machine.
I support his opinion that people can fight even with their bare hands, but there are certain things they won’t accept. We’ve "paid" too much and lost too much over these years.
The conditions for a ceasefire should include a buffer zone with a peacekeeping contingent to guarantee that the Russians won’t resume their offensive at any moment.
Martin Fornusek
Petro Kuzyk, a battalion commander at the National Guard
I honestly wouldn't want to fight with my bare hands, because objectively it would be much harder. But we have no choice, because the Russians came to our land to kill all Ukrainians and we are forced to defend our children and parents.
There, at the negotiations, wearing suits, there is a false impression that there are some civilized demands and decisions — in fact, the facts and the truth is that Putin is a sick maniac who dreams of destroying the country.
He hates us because Ukrainians constantly refuse to be driven into neo-Nazism, and he has gone crazy on the topic of destroying Ukraine as a state. The crimes that Russia is committing against Ukrainians are inhumane and are a manifestation of the new Russian Nazism.
Think about it — in the third millennium they kill just because you are Ukrainian. This is not a fight for territories, this is not a fight for political demands and not for being in NATO or the European Union — this is a fight of good against the furious evil that is modern Russia.
This is a story about how the new leaders of the powerful world powers, from which Ukrainians not so long ago looked up to, turned out to be petty cowards, who camouflage their fear under cynical statements, and pretend that they are carrying out some peace-making actions.
In fact, being afraid of Putin and repeating his lies about Ukrainians, they become accomplices in the genocide against Ukrainians and human civilizational values.
By repeating the lies created in Russia, they, in addition to looking pitiful and like puppets, also literally become accomplices in crimes and the blood of innocent victims is also on their hands.
We have no other choice but to fight for our families, for our children, for our freedom. And yes, if we have to, we will fight with our bare hands. Even if our weapons are taken away, we will still win.
Andrea Januta
Myroslav Hai, officer, Ukraine’s Armed Forces
I want you to remember the experience of Chechnya — It was a very bad experience for a little country, a very proud country, but they won two wars with Russia. They lost in a political sense, but they won in the fighting.
Chechnya didn't have any weapons or any big army — they had only a proud people who decided to fight against Russia's aggression. And they only lost the political battle because no one in the world helped them. No one.
Thousands and thousands of Russian soldiers died in Chechnya.
In Ukraine, a million Russian soldiers are dead or wounded. And when in 2022, the world's intelligence agencies thought Ukraine would fall in a few days, we beat the Russians without any help, with Ukrainian weapons and the Ukrainian army.
I don't think the world will stop supporting Ukraine. Why? Because Ukraine fights not for money, not for territory — Ukraine fights for democracy. Maybe we will be the last country in the world that decides to fight for the principles of democracy.
This is a war of democracy versus dictatorship — Russia wants to build the second Soviet Union. That's why Ukraine has no other option. We have only one way, we must fight for our independence, for our families, for our country, and for our children.
As for a ceasefire — I have fought against Russia in various roles for 11 years. I've seen different presidents in Ukraine, the United States, and Europe, but only one president in Russia who has never kept a ceasefire for more than a few hours.
'Foucault,' soldier with the 66th Prince Mstyslav Khorobyi Brigade
I have no doubt in Ukrainians' motivation to fight for their land. However, modern warfare is significantly different from any guerrilla war of the past.
First, this is a war of technology, and second, it is a very expensive war. Therefore, the allies' key role is to supply technology and finance it.
This war can only end when one side is so dominant over the other that any resistance will not have any significant meaning. For this, we inevitably need the support of our Western partners, because this is not just a Russian-Ukrainian war.
It is a war for everything that lies at the heart of European civilization against Russian necrophilia, which is only a simulacrum or a shadow of civilization.
Serhii, a drone pilot stationed in Kharkiv Oblast
Yes (we will fight with our bare hands), and we have no choice but to continue the fight. Genocide is already being carried out in full swing in the occupied territories. So yes, the fight will continue until everyone is killed.
And considering how well Trump makes deals, it’s a shame. On the one hand, we are fighting with the bastards, on the other hand, the allies decided to almost side with the Russians.
I don’t know how but Europe should get its act together now and help us as much as is needed. Because the Russians have no reason not to fight further west now.
Now we will sign the surrender, go home and the Russians will have the only army in the region capable of fighting. Good luck negotiating with them later.
Kate Tsurkan
