CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — President Donald Trump is once again bashing United States ally, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy as tensions between the two leaders escalated this week.
The president said Friday the Ukrainian leader has “no cards” when it comes to ending the war with Russian forces in his country.
Despite the attacks, local supporters of Ukraine still hope for a ceasefire.
“It feels it feels very disappointing, even for people who supported Trump,” said Marina Alexandra, founder of the nonprofit Charlotte for Ukraine. “I mean, they are completely lost and crushed. I would say they’re completely crushed.”
Alexandra still remembers the day she heard her country was under attack by Russia. She was sick to her stomach seeing images of the devastation in Ukraine.
But she also remembers how people in Charlotte and other Americans rallied to show their support. It was why she founded Charlotte for Ukraine.
“The Charlotte administration showed a lot of support as well,” Alexandra said. “The mayor, you know, we saw all those banners around Charlotte that said ‘stand with Ukraine.’ So it felt amazing.”
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WAR IN UKRAINE
Now, three years later, the conflict is approaching another anniversary, this time under a new administration.
Trump has been working to deescalate the fighting between the two countries.
“I think I have the power to end this war and I think its going very well,” Trump said.
But he’s only spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin, excluding Ukraine’s Zelenskyy from peace talks in Saudi Arabia.
Trump is also sharing false claims about the war and U.S. involvement. And he’s calling Zelenskyy a “dictator”.
Alexandra says those words hurt.
“Attacking the president of a country that was attacked is simply choosing, in my opinion, the wrong sides of history,” she said. “History will never forget what was done and how we acted in the eyes of evil.”
Charlotte for Ukraine will commemorate the anniversary of the war at rally that’s slated to begin at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, at Romare Bearden Park.
While it will be a day of mourning, Alexandra hopes neighbors will continue to stand with Ukrainians.
“To me, it’s about the truth, the ultimate truth,” Alexandra said. “What do you want to say to your grandchildren when they going to be studying this in the history books? What are you going to say? Are you going to say, ‘I stayed with the Hitler? I was quiet when Hitler was doing wrong things in Europe,’ or you going to say I stand for the truth. I did my little share because this is as little as you can do. It’s just basically going to the rally and saying to Ukrainians, ‘Guys, we feel for you, we are with you.'”
