After President Volodymyr Zelensky's meeting at the White House on Friday morning, local Ukrainians are hoping for a peace deal sooner rather than later, after the conflict in the Middle East is beginning to die down following a complex ceasefire.
For Vera Skop, a San Diegan, the stories of refugees hit close to home, having been raised by Ukrainian refugee parents in Canada. She is now the VP of the House of Ukraine, a cultural organization that puts on events to celebrate her culture. She says she has hope for the end of the war.
"Maybe it's just based on hope more than anything else. But I do. He's been very successful in the Middle East, if it holds," Skop said.
She thinks Ukraine needs to side with Trump if they have a hope of ending this war.
"Everybody wants the war to end, like now. And it could. Putin just needs to say stop fighting, and it ends," Skop said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainians in Kyiv are facing limited resources, according to Skop's friends in the country. They detailed to her their experiences and fears if the attacks continue.
"I have a friend in Kyiv who says they're going to bomb our water infrastructure. We can do without electricity; we have generators, we can make that work," Skop said. "A city can only last without water for so long. So the villages are getting ready for an onslaught of people from the city, because villages are ready ... they have wells."
Skop emphasized the importance of Ukraine's land and the safety of the people, though she said she has faith in the skill of the Ukrainian army and the resilience of the people.
"Ukrainians needs peace for themselves, but it is for the rest of the world, too," Skop said.