Chicago Ukrainians call for truth and support
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Illinois Ukrainians are outraged by recent actions and comments by President Trump on the Ukraine-Russia war and are calling for continued U.S. support.
The big picture: With more than 100,000 Ukrainian-Americans in the metropolitan area, Chicago hosts one of the largest communities in the nation.
State of play: This week, U.S. and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the war in Ukraine and preparing for a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- But, so far, Ukraine has been left out of the talks.
Driving the news: Ukrainian-Americans and their allies will gather at the Wrigley Building at 4pm Saturday and march to the Water Tower to commemorate the third anniversary of Russia's invasion.
- The march is organized by the nonpartisan Illinois division of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA).
Specific UCCA Illinois demands include:
- Requiring that Ukraine be an "active participant" in the negotiations.
- Negotiating a peace that is "fair, just and reliable," leaving Ukraine with "security and sovereignty" as well as "economic and diplomatic support."
- Accountability for Russian war crimes and a commitment to NATO membership for Ukraine.
What they're saying: This week, Trump falsely claimed Ukraine started the war against Russia and said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is "a dictator without elections" with approval ratings of 4%.
The other side: "Ukraine did not start the war, support for Zelensky is over 50%, and Zelensky was democratically elected," UCCA Illinois president Mariya Dmytriv-Kapeniak tells Axios.
- "The reason Ukraine did not have elections by now is because Russia invaded Ukraine, and we have a martial law, and it is consistent with Ukraine's constitution during martial law not to have elections."
Zoom in: Dmytriv-Kapeniak notes that the Ukrainian community is also concerned about the fate of more than 30,000 refugees who arrived in Chicago under a Biden-era program.
- "There's a lot of anxiety that the program will be terminated because [the refugees] cannot return back home. Their houses are destroyed and there's still bombing going on in Ukraine every day," she says.
- During a recent local Ukrainian unity meeting, Dmytriv-Kapeniak asked attendees to stand up if they knew someone who was killed or injured in the war or was on the front lines and, she says, "90% of them stood up."
- She is encouraging Chicagoans who have an opinion on the issue to reach out to their elected officials, especially Republicans.
The intrigue: Ukraine may still have some leverage with the U.S. because it contains 5% of the world's rare earth minerals necessary for making equipment including capacitors in electronic devices and the brakes on jet aircraft.