Ukrainians keep a wary eye on U.S. midterm elections, fearing a loss of support

Ukrainian servicemen prepare to fire at Russian positions from a U.S.-supplied M777 howitzer in the Kharkiv region on July 14. (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)

KYIV, Ukraine — Sitting on a park bench by a tram stop in Kontraktova Square, Marta Makarova, a 21-year-old budding social media influencer, takes a break from talking with two friends about Instagram to talk instead about the war. Makarova explains how much of their safety depends on U.S. support.

"We have some problems in our country," she says, "and we need help, very, very, very much."