(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Ukrainians and their supporters came from across the country to the Lincoln Memorial to sing, pray and chant before marching toward the Russian ambassador’s residence, waving yellow and blue Ukrainian flags.
“The war, Russia’s war, has had devastating consequences in Ukraine,” Jovita Neliupšienė, European Union ambassador to the U.S., said at the rally. “I’m sorry to say that I’m here for the fourth time because the war is still going on.”
While U.S.-brokered peace talks have occurred in recent months, key disputes over Russian-occupied territory and the guarantees for Ukraine’s future security have stalled progress.
The rally, organized by leading Ukrainian-American organizations, aimed to demonstrate solidarity and call for continued U.S. support to end what is widely described as Europe’s largest conflict since World War II.
The war has resulted in significant losses on both sides. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates that since Russia’s invasion began, Russian forces have sustained as many as 325,000 deaths, while Ukrainian forces have sustained up to 140,000 deaths. The numbers are current as of December 2025.
Russia first annexed Crimea in 2014 before launching a full-scale invasion in February 2022. Since then, the war has reshaped the European security landscape and left millions of Ukrainians displaced. Russian attacks on energy infrastructure have caused blackouts across Ukraine, leaving civilians without heat and electricity.
“It’s just very cruel what’s been happening to the people of Ukraine this winter, when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, and how the world can just sit silently while families, civilians are bombed in Ukraine. It’s not understandable,” said Adrian Karmazyn, a protester and former Voice of America employee.
Speakers urged attendees to take their support beyond the protest, outlining specific actions they could take to increase pressure on Russia and influence U.S. support for Ukraine.
“We have a clear understanding of what does work and what doesn’t work,” said Andriy Smolensky, a Ukrainian veteran from Kyiv. “So I call to all of you: call your congressmen, go to your districts and tell them to support the Sanctioning Russia Act. This is a clear step to peace through strength, to our unity and to our victory.”
The Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 is a bipartisan bill that would give the U.S. president the option to impose extensive sanctions on Russia and countries that purchase Russian exports.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, Congress has made $188 billion available in aid to Ukraine as of Dec. 31, 2025. The majority of this aid, $164 billion, was authorized through five pieces of legislation, the last of which passed in 2024 under the Biden administration.
At Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, President Trump issued no words of support for Ukraine, and claimed that the war “would have never happened if I were president.” This is in stark contrast to President Biden, who called Ukraine a “top priority.”
But many Americans believe the stakes extend beyond partisan politics.
“When we lose the fight for freedom anywhere in the world, we also are losing it on our own soil,” said Rodney Mast, a Mississippi farmer who travelled to D.C. to protest.
You must be logged in to post a comment.