Ukrainian organizations in Alaska rally ahead of Trump-Putin meeting

Ukrainian organizations held one of the biggest rallies in years in Alaska’s biggest city of Anchorage on Aug. 14 in support of their homeland on the eve of a summit between the presidents of Russia and the U.S., Ukrainian journalist Ostap Yarysh reported.

“A big pro-Ukrainian rally in Anchorage ahead of the Trump-Putin meeting. “Ukraine and Alaska — Russian never again,” Yarysh wrote.

The streets of Anchorage were lined with blue-and-yellow flags. Demonstrations in support of Ukraine continued on the following day when the summit is scheduled to take place at 11:30 a.m. local time, the journalist said.

Earlier, the non-governmental organization Stand Up Alaska called on the public to join the rally to “protest against an international war criminal hanging out here.”

An estimated 1,000 people attended the rally as they lined the streets with a variety of placards and signs with various pro-Ukrainian messages. 

“Local Alaskans told me this is the biggest rally they’ve had in years — for any cause,” wrote Julian Hayda, a Ukrainian American from Chicago who is representing Razom for Ukraine.

Trump announced on Aug. 8 that his meeting with Kremlin despot Vladimir Putin would take place on Aug. 15 in Alaska.

Previously, the Ukrainian World Congress had welcomed President Trump’s efforts to establish peace in Ukraine but stressed that peace cannot come at the cost of the country’s sovereignty. 

The UWC calls for support of Ukraine’s right to determine its own future, defend itself, restore the international order, condemn Russian aggression, and hold Russia accountable for its crimes.