24-02-2025
Chicago Ukrainians call for truth and support
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.
