In front of Chicago’s iconic Water Tower, hundreds gathered Sunday afternoon in thunderous support of democracy in war-torn Ukraine — two days after President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance confronted the Eastern European nation’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, over plans for peace in a tense televised meeting.
Politicians and leaders from around the country and the world have since spoken out, some in criticism of the administration’s rough reception and others in criticism of Zelenskyy’s leadership.
“What an amazing crowd this is, to come together on such short notice. But it reflects what’s going on across America,” said U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin at the rally. “This is a reaction not just to what happened in the Oval Office. … It is a reaction by the people in this country to the notion that we are going to abandon Ukraine and embrace (Russian President) Vladimir Putin. That is never going to happen.”
The Illinois Democrat said that if Trump withdrew the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, it would be the “most disastrous development” in American foreign policy since World War II. The alliance, he added, is not only designed to stop another global war but also to protect European countries.
“Do we have any friends from Poland in the audience?” he asked, eliciting hoots and hollers from some in the crowd. “I know we have friends from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and so many other countries. They are dependent on NATO for their survival. We understand that if Putin is given a chance, he will invade other countries as well.”
During the Friday meeting at the Oval Office, a reporter asked Zelenskyy: “Why don’t you wear a suit?”
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, the Ukrainian leader has opted for more casual, military-style outfits for important meetings with other politicians, attire he has said signals solidarity with his country’s troops on the frontlines of the war.
“I will wear kostyum,” Zelenskyy said Friday, using a Ukrainian word for suit, “after this war will finish.”
On Sunday, Chicago protesters latched onto the exchange as a common theme. Some of them had dressed up and were holding signs that read: “Will Russia stop killing Ukrainians if we all wear suits?”
At the White House on Friday, Vance also admonished Zelenskyy for not expressing gratitude to the United States. The interaction has become a sticking point for those criticizing the Trump administration.
“In the four visits (to Ukraine) and seven times I’ve met with President Zelenskyy, in the 50 times I’ve met with the military and leaders of the parliament, they have always begun with: ‘Thank you,’” U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, a Chicago Democrat, said at Sunday’s rally. “What I didn’t see … was the president of the United States in the clown show at the Oval Office begin by saying: ‘Thank you for fighting for democracy.’”
Quigley said all Americans should care about the issue as the world has become “fundamentally different” and less safe than it was a few weeks ago. “Our welfare is dependent on the welfare of nations across the world,” he added.
Also present at the rally, U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, a Chicago Democrat, echoed the sentiment of solidarity.
“When Ukraine is under attack, all of us are under attack,” she said. “As we’re standing here, just on the other side of Michigan Avenue, I want you to look at each other because this is what solidarity, this is what resistance for democracy looks like.”
After the kickoff gathering downtown, the growing crowd marched down Michigan Avenue to cheers from passersby and tourists and honks from cars before turning west on Madison Street and heading to Daley Plaza.
Mariya Dmytriv-Kapeniak, president of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America’s Illinois Division, urged rallygoers to demand that their representatives in Washington support Ukraine.
“If Washington does something that is shameful, it is our shame to share. So please do not be afraid to speak up,” Dmytriv-Kapeniak said.
“Thank you, everyone,” she said, her words echoing across the plaza. The crowd, now more than a thousand people, erupted in cheers and applause.
adperez@chicagotribune.com