The United States under Trump is no longer the United States these families started with. Instead, they had to gather at the United States embassy that is now represented by Donald Trump’s administration who just scorned and humiliated the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy on international television from the Highest Office of the Land, the White House. It is not lost on the families of the POWs here in Ukraine that Trump was provoked after the Ukrainian president did as the families have demanded, put the return of their defenders on the table as a key demand.
It has been more than three years for some Ukrainians, but for many who gathered in Kyiv today, March 6, 2025, they have been in a state of limbo for far too long. Each day brings the agony of waiting. Each passing headline becomes more excruciating as they watch the great defender of democracy become enamored by the Kremlin, shifting from ineffective under the Biden administration to being forced into subjugation or annihilation.
POWs in Russian captivity have returned in severely abused conditions since the beginning of the invasion in 2014. Torture and routine violations of the Geneva Conventions have been well documented over the past eleven years. Yet, the returning pro-Kremlin administration under Donald Trump seems more focused on Ukraine’s mineral wealth and reacted negatively when President Zelenskyy exposed the conditions of the soldiers. The administration’s reaction remains unexplained, but their media supporters, followed by many MAGA adherents, repeatedly echo a ‘gravy train’ insult.
Third-party organizations, such as the ICRC, have been routinely denied access to Ukrainian soldiers or civilians in Russian captivity. They are often met with a series of excuses and delays. In contrast, the Ukrainian government’s intelligence wing, GUR, has consistently allowed NGOs and the press to monitor the conditions of Russian soldiers and the mercenaries they employ. This disparity has been cited repeatedly by families of Ukrainian defenders, who often ask, “Why must my son be tortured while these individuals can call their mothers, receive packages, and are well-fed?”
This week, Amnesty International’s Ukraine team released a report on the conditions of Ukrainian defenders that you should read: (insert link). The rally at the United States Embassy in Kyiv was a call from the families for an “All for All” exchange, a demand introduced by Ukrainian Intelligence Chief Kyrylo Budanov and one that the families have been advocating for over a year.
Although exchanges have occurred over the past three years, Russia routinely manipulates the release process, causing further suffering for the loved ones. Additionally, operations have been conducted to manipulate families online who are seeking every possible avenue to bring their loved ones home. This includes efforts by FSB agents to lure families into cooperating with sabotage.
The request made by Budanov in April 2023 was for an “All-for-All” exchange. However, Russia has been producing piecemeal releases, resulting in defenders returning home in emaciated conditions. Released soldiers have noted that being placed on a list for release does lead to better treatment, ensuring that the defender appears less deteriorated than they would if left in captivity.
The most recent exchange took place on February 5, 2025, when 150 soldiers were returned. However, the selection of soldiers for release remains at the discretion of the Russian Federation, creating further pain and frustration for families who cannot anticipate any outcome for their loved ones.
Additionally, some soldiers have been charged as criminals by mock courts that Russia unlawfully operates on Ukrainian territory, despite the fact that they were defending the Ukrainian people on Ukrainian land. These families are uncertain about when or how their sons, husbands, fathers, and brothers, who defended their country, will return home.
Today’s rally will not be the last in the effort to urge the American “peacemaker” to do everything he can to bring their defenders home safely. After all, he is the one who repeatedly talks about valuing lives and wanting to end the bloodshed. The question remains: Does he extend that commitment to the Ukrainian defenders, as he clearly does to the Russians, whom he described as entitled to something for their losses? This would imply he believes Ukrainian territory was rightfully taken by Russian blood rather than by the blood of Ukrainians on their own soil. We will see how the United States responds, if it responds at all, to the families.