Calgary's Ukrainian community rallies after Trump-Zelenskyy clash
Hundreds of people rallied at Calgary's Municipal Plaza Sunday in the wake of a heated exchange between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President and Vice-President Donald Trump and JD Vance at the White House on Friday.
Roman Yosyfiv, president of the Calgary branch of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, says Sunday's rally was especially important because of how crucial it is that Ukraine continues to receive support from powerful nations like the United States.
"This is the DNA of Ukrainians. If something happens, they want to get together and support each other. Even we are miles away from Ukraine," he said.
Yosyfiv adds the rally was also an opportunity to show gratitude to Canada for taking in so many refugees from Ukraine after the invasion began.
"We appreciate [you] for hosting us here, helping us. I have been enough in Canada to call Canada my home. But for those who just came, Canada became a safe place for their families and kids."
Iryna Musiienko, who attended the rally, came to Canada from Ukraine in 2022, fleeing Russia's invasion of her country.
She says the fact that Ukraine is still battling Russian forces years later is baffling, and hopes for a swift end to the war.
"My heart brought me here, like everyone else who is here now," Musiienko said.
"I came here to support my country. I came here to support my homeland. I came here to [stand] with Ukraine."
WATCH | Trump, Vance, Zelenskyy clash in the Oval Office:
'Without us, you don't have any cards,' Trump says in heated exchange with Zelenskyy
2 days ago
Duration 10:34
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice-President J.D. Vance had a tense exchange at the White House on Friday, with the U.S. leaders calling Zelenskyy 'disrespectful' and calling for the Ukrainian leader to thank them for assistance.
Musiienko says the exchange between Zelenskyy and the leaders of the United States made her feel isolated from the rest of the world.
"My opinion is that Trump, he's scared of Russian President [Vladimir Putin] and that's why he is trying to fight and put the pressure on our president, Zelenskyy," she said. "And I'm really proud of my president and my country."
Pavlo Karach came to Canada in 2022. He says he normally doesn't attend rallies, but as tensions rose between Ukraine and the U.S. following Friday's row at the White House, he felt obligated to show up in solidarity with his community.
"Ukraine was humiliated publicly, and I think it's not right. We have to show that you cannot humiliate [an entire] nation in front of the whole world like this … I felt like I needed to come and see other Ukrainians," he said.
Karach said coming together with his peers lifted his spirits, and made him feel optimistic about the future.
Rally-goer Yulia Pashchuk came to Canada in 2012. She says it warmed her heart to see hundreds of people gather in Calgary to support her country.
She adds watching the tense argument between Zelenskyy, Trump and Vance on Friday made her angry.
"It's such a disgrace. I couldn't believe [it,] how is this happening? It's the highest level of politics — it looked like high school bullying," Pashchuk said.
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Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
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Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
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Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
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Authoritarians flaunt military assets Grandiose military pomp is common under modern authoritarians, especially those who have seized power via coups. It sometimes serves as a show of force meant to ward off would-be challengers — and to seek legitimacy and respect from other countries. Cuba's Fidel Castro, who wore military garb routinely, held parades to commemorate the revolution he led on Dec. 2, 1959. In 2017, then-President Raúl Castro refashioned the event into a Fidel tribute shortly after his brother's death. Venezuela's Hugo Chávez, known as 'Comandante Chávez,' presided over frequent parades until his 2013 death. His successor, Nicolás Maduro, has worn military dress at similar events. North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un, who famously bonded with Trump in a 2018 summit, used a 2023 military parade to show off his daughter and potential successor, along with pieces of his isolated country's nuclear arsenal. 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The four-hour march through Berlin on April 20, 1939, included more than 40,000 personnel across the Army, Navy, Luftwaffe (Air Force) and Schutzstaffel (commonly known as the 'SS.') Hundreds of thousands of spectators lined the streets. The Führer's invited guests numbered 20,000. On a street-level platform, Hitler was front and center. Alone. ___
