About a dozen American demonstrators gathered in front of the US embassy in Kyiv to voice their opposition to the White House’s current efforts to end the war in Ukraine through bilateral negotiations with Russia – sidelining Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Many of the protesters held signs that condemned Russia as an enemy of the US and questioned why the US had turned its back on Ukraine.
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“I am very, very sorry for what my country is doing at this point,” Gregory Huey, a volunteer from Texas, told the small group that had gathered under falling snow.
Huey, a mathematician, appeared on the verge of tears as he held a sign reading, “USA ♡ Ukraine.”
“We shouldn’t be here today,” Huey told Kyiv Post.
Huey said he’s particularly upset over US President Donald Trump’s refusal to name Russia as the aggressor in its war on Ukraine – and the president’s growing diplomatic and economic relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Huey moved to Ukraine last year to provide IT help for the Ukrainian military, and he was shocked that other Americans did not see the importance of continuing to support Ukraine – a historic ally whose military is now the largest and most experienced in Europe.
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“It’s the right thing to do, not only for Ukraine, but the US too,” Huey said.
Trump doubled down on his promise to end the war in Ukraine within a matter of weeks at a press conference with French President Emmanual Macron on Monday. The European leader had headed to Washington even as over a dozen other Western leaders came to Kyiv to commemorate the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
A veteran of the Marines from California also attended the impromptu protest. Eddie Etue, who was wearing fatigues and dark sunglasses, told Kyiv Post that he had been a volunteer fighter with the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the first two years of the conflict and now sees the country as his home.
The last week made Etue feel “mad. Disappointed. But not surprised at all,” he said.
Etue said he was protesting the Trump administration’s about-face on Ukraine, especially his embrace of Putin as an ally instead of a foe.
“Not condemning Russia as a terrorist state – that’s my biggest problem,” Etue said. “It really rubs me the wrong way.”
Etue said his buddies, still posted on the front lines fighting against Russia’s invading forces are fed up too. He said he’s stopped asking how they’re doing because he always gets the same answer: “Same sh*t, different day.”
He said he hopes to see Europe step up to fill the gaps in military and diplomatic support that will be left by the US’s withdrawal.
Bill Cole, who had an American flag draped over his shoulders, another Californian living in Ukraine, agreed with Etue.
“Russia is a terrorist state,” he said. “If the US refuses to lean into the fact that Putin is a Nazi and Russia is a terrorist state, then we have a problem,” he said.
Cole said that American politicians have fought against Russian imperialism abroad and its influences at home.
“Where are you, Senator Lindsey Graham? Where are you, Senator Thom Tillis?” Cole asked the protesters, who were beginning to freeze after standing outside for so long. “These are good men. Where are they?”
Graham has been one of Ukraine’s most vocal supporters in the past and has repeatedly warned of the dangers of trusting Putin: “I’m looking forward to voting on our legislation to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism under US law for several reasons,” Graham said in June.
“Most importantly, this designation would dramatically increase the tools available to the US to punish Putin for his barbaric behavior in Ukraine… Putin’s Russia is a state sponsor of terrorism and it’s long past time to make it official under US law.”
But the MAGA supporter has not challenged Trump publicly since Trump began cozying up to the Russian leader last month.
Although Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina sponsored a resolution condemning Russia for the third anniversary of the war on Monday, he likewise has not directly questioned Trump about his relationship with Putin.
“As we mark the third anniversary of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, it is critical that we maintain our support for the Ukrainian people and hold Putin accountable as the United States seeks to secure a lasting peace,” Tillis wrote.
“This resolution reinforces our bipartisan commitment to supporting Ukraine as a free and sovereign nation.”
Most Republican politicians have remained silent in recent weeks.
Cole stood in a line with Huey, Etue, and the other protesters as they held their signs and waved at cars that drove by. A single car slowed down to honk at the group in a small sign of support.
“Please,” Cole said, seeking to address the American politicians who might hear his message. “Please, I am begging you to see,” he said, holding his sign higher in the air.
“Ruzzia 2022 is Nazi Germany 1939,” the sign read.
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