A rally in Irondequoit on Sunday brought out hundreds of people in support of Ukraine. It was spurred by the controversy that erupted over the way Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was treated at the White House last Friday by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance as they discussed ways to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The rally took place in frigid temperatures outside the Irondequoit town hall, with many in the crowd, especially those with Ukrainian roots, expressing anger and disappointment with the way Trump and Vance criticized Zelenskyy in that televised meeting.
Iryna Bond emigrated to the U.S. just a year ago, and said she cried after watching Friday night’s coverage of that White House meeting, especially because she was in Ukraine when Russia invaded her country three years ago.
"I was there when it happened, I was there when full scale invasion happened," said Bond. "I was running away from (the) bombing. I was in Kharkiv, and to me, just heartbreaking how people care about money and enrichment and that stuff and not care actually about people’s lives."
Sunday’s rally was organized by the local Ukrainian humanitarian group Roc Maidan, and its board secretary, Elena Dilai said this show of unity in Irondequoit was very important to local Ukrainian Americans.
“It is so, so important that this country stands for democracy, that this country supports countries that would like to stand for their democracy, and us trying to keep sovereignty, freedom, have been fighting for three years,” Dilai said.
She noted that people in the Rochester area have been very generous since the invasion in offering their support for Ukraine, and especially since Friday’s White House incident.
“The support we have seen over the course of the last two days was absolutely overwhelming,” said Dilai. “We get donations coming in, we get messages of support coming in. We get people reach out, asking, how can we help? And we appreciate it, because we all should stand together as one nation.”
Rev. Philip Weiner is the pastor at St. Josaphat's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Irondequoit, and said the push for peace in Ukraine must continue.
“Ukrainians are resilient. And the very fact that we're gathered here today in these very, very cold temperatures, is to show that as resilient Ukrainians, we all speak with one voice,” said Weiner.
