An Open Letter to Ukraine from Pro-Democracy Americans
The Trump administration swiped right on peace—then ghosted you when the going got tough. We're sorry.
Dear Ukraine,
We showed up promising peace, then vanished at the last minute. Secretary Rubio bailed on the ceasefire summit, warning he’d “walk away” unless both Kyiv and Moscow delivered “clear signs of progress” within days. It was a diplomatic mic-drop so spectacular that our European allies spent the evening scrambling to salvage talks—and it stung even more when Trump piled on, suggesting Ukraine might have to legitimize Russia’s land grab in Crimea just to keep the conversation alive.
We’re mortified. Our so-called “hit-and-run” peace strategy treated your fight for freedom like an inconvenient Tinder match: swipe right for a flirtation, then vanish when things got serious. Britain, France and Germany ended up doing damage control for America’s headline-grabbing theatrics, mopping up the mess we created.
Meanwhile, you—Ukrainians on the front lines—never wavered. President Zelenskiy insisted that peace must start with an “immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire,” not a half-baked pause that lets Russia regroup. You made it abundantly clear: there will be no shortcuts around your sovereignty, no trades of freedom for territory.
On the other side, Putin’s olive branch is nothing more than a battlefield bargaining chip: freeze the front line exactly where his armor has parked, and he’ll sign on. In any halfway-decent conflict-resolution class, you don’t reward the invader for winning—but apparently that basic lesson got lost in transit.
Enter Malcolm Nance—naval cryptologist turned Ukrainian legionnaire turned our conscience. He spent ten months under Russian bombardment, even surviving two direct artillery hits that collapsed three floors of a former nuclear bunker while he was inside. He calls Ukraine “the Eastern wall of democracy,” where highways clear and civilians kneel in tribute whenever a fallen soldier passes. It’s a solidarity so profound it shames any nation dragging its feet.
Nance doesn’t spare our diplomatic corps either, branding our envoys “errand boys” for political theatrics and lamenting that real diplomats have been replaced by campaign henchmen whipped into line by tweets and soundbites. His message is simple: if we can’t demand negotiators who actually negotiate, we might as well pack up and call it a day.
So here we are, offering this apology because we’ve already failed you in person. We—The Dangerous Ones—are pro-democracy, left-leaning Americans who believe in standing by democracy’s defenders, not abandoning them when the spotlight fades. It’s on all Americans to pressure Congress to restore and expand aid, to expose any scheme that trades freedom for territory, and to insist our negotiators uphold our highest ideals.
To the brave people of Ukraine: we’re sorry for the snubs from this shameful administration, the ultimatums and the inconsistent cheerleading. If we can’t stand firmly with you today, we have no right to lecture anyone tomorrow.
Sincerely , Pro-Democracy Americans
Watch Malcolm Nance talk about how “Ukraine is on it’s own”
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Like the memes say: Dear World, sane Americans are so very very sorry!
Malcolm is great