Illinois governor Pritzker proclaims August 2025 as Ukrainian Independence Month

CHICAGO – Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has officially declared August 2025 as Ukrainian Independence Month, endorsing an initiative by the Illinois division of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America.

“I, JB Pritzker, […] urge all residents to join in commemorating this important anniversary and recommit ourselves to helping the Ukrainian nation reclaim full sovereignty over its international borders while remembering its heroes who sacrificed their lives to ensure freedom and happiness for future generations,” the governor said.

The proclamation was shared by Maria Klimchak, who is a high-ranking representative of the Ukrainian community in the U.S. and program director at the Kyiv Mohyla Foundation of America.

Pritzker spotlighted the strong bond between Ukraine and the United States, citing Ukraine’s contributions to NATO peacekeeping and combat missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and beyond.

He also recalled that on Aug. 24, 1991, Ukraine’s Parliament declared the country’s independence as a sovereign and democratic state — a decision backed by over 90% of voters in a nationwide referendum later that year.

In the previous year, Chicago’s Mayor Brandon Johnson declared August 2024 as “Ukraine Month” during a flag raising ceremony at Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago. 

In the proclamation, Johnson praised Ukraine as a symbol of freedom and democracy, acknowledged over two decades of sister‑city ties between Chicago and Kyiv, and honored the contributions of Ukrainian Americans to the city’s cultural and social fabric

Despite Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity being internationally recognized, parts of its land remain under unlawful Russian military occupation, Pritzker said, whose Ukrainian-Jewish roots trace back through several generations of his paternal family in the Kyiv region. 

“We honor the efforts and sacrifices of the Armed Forces and Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine in their heroic defense of our allies, including the entire European continent, against further aggressive actions,” the governor said.

Pritzker praised Americans for opening their hearts and homes to Ukrainians displaced by the war, providing humanitarian aid and showing the “American spirit of generosity.”

For over a century and through several waves of immigration, Ukrainians in the U.S. have enriched the country’s cultural fabric while preserving their heritage, identity, and shared values — freedom, democracy, and the rule of law — he concluded.