Ukrainian refugees in Alaska uncertain what to expect after Trump announces possible negotiations

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A phone call between President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin prompted local refugees to consider what comes next for their home.

According to Trump the call between the leaders Wednesday struck an agreement to begin negotiations and end the Ukraine war; beginning with a prisoner swap.

Alaska hosts a number of Ukrainian refugees, according to Catholic Social Services Refugee Assistance Services — the only refugee resettlement agency in the state — it’s seen an influx of Ukrainians entering Alaska since 2022 when the war first broke out.

Based on Trump’s statements there is potential for negotiations, but Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also said Wednesday that Ukraine should give up any NATO aspirations.

One Alaskan who came to the U.S. as a child in 1998 said many Ukrainians are simply overwhelmed.

“We don’t have the emotional capacity to have a big response,” said Zori Opanasevych, who now operates the Ukraine Relief Program.

“I think that when it happens there will be a relief,” said Opanasevych, but before there is more information about what might come out of the negotiations Opanasevych said there is both a lot of hope and a lot of uncertainty.

Opanasevych anticipates there will be many who question Ukrainian refugees in the U.S. about their immigration status, and worries there may be talks of deportation even for people who have obtained residency through all the proper channels.

If refugees who have sought safety in the U.S. were sent back to Ukraine, they would be stripped of everything they’ve built, according to Opanasevych.

“Their concern is that they don’t have a home to go to because a fifth of Ukraine is destroyed,” Opanasevych said. “The economy is nonexistent, almost, and they’ve built their lives here.”

According to Catholic Social Services, they currently serve 735 Ukrainians, but estimate there are more than 1,000 Ukrainians in the state. Not all of them are enrolled in the services CSS provides.

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