SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Bay Area Ukrainians united in San Francisco on Sunday to push back against President Donald Trump’s peace proposal to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
“The Ukrainian community really wanted to stand up here in support of Ukraine and to send a message to the White House, the president, that we cannot accept Russia-drafted terms. We cannot surrender to Russia,” said Nick Bilogorskyi, with Nova Ukraine.
“People who are fighting all the defenders, especially all the veterans who paid a very high price for freedom and independence,” said Taitana Raiberg, a Saratoga resident. “I will be here and stay with them with all my heart.”
“This is not what an independent country Ukraine is supposed to have, and the people who paid with their lives, that is not what they deserve,” said Olena Petrova, a San Jose resident.
MORE: US, Ukraine officials in Geneva report progress on ending Russia’s war but offer few specifics
Now more than three years into the war, another heavy holiday season is ahead for those with loved ones in Ukraine.
“Even though I have lived in the U.S. for 45 years now and the US is my second home, I still feel ties with Ukraine, and we have friends there and extended family there, and I feel like we should be involved,” said Olga Gavrylyako, a Fremont resident
“It’s not easy, but I try to be strong. I’m here with my son and my mother, and my sister is in Ukraine,” said Raiberg. “We must be strong to save our lives, our country, our culture, our language.”
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