CHICAGO (WLS) — Some Chicagoans are carefully watching what will come of Monday’s Washington, D.C. meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump, and what it means for their loved ones in Ukraine.
Ukrainians living in Chicago went about their business on Monday, but they are eager to hear news from Washington.
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Entrepreneur Natalie Acevedo said her grandparents left Ukraine and from the Russians in 1949.
“That’s what we are hoping for, a very peaceful and productive meeting and a strong meeting so that we know that Ukraine’s sovereignty is protected,” Acevedo said.
Zelenskyy met with Trump and European leaders as the war between Ukraine and Russia is in its third year. The last meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump at the White House ended in a shouting match.
But with more at stake and death tolls rising, the desire for peace is more urgent for some.
“No one wants peace more than Ukraine, because we are the ones fighting and dying every day,” said Self-Reliance Federal Credit Union Board member Yulia Skuibida.
Skuibida went to help Ukrainians at the Polish border in 2022. She says half of her family is in Ukraine.
“I’m praying for peace every day, because I want to go home. I want to see my family,” Skuibida said.
Andrew Dziuk is an Illinois board member for the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, which is organizing events for Ukrainian independence this weekend
“My cousins in Ukraine have fought in the front. They’ve been back and forth,” Dziuk said. “We are going to be celebrating 34 years on Sunday, so it’s ever more important that America honors those obligations.”
Those ABC7 spoke with on Monday said they are constantly watching the developments in and around Ukraine, but they hope someday soon, the developments will include lasting peace.
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