Last Friday’s heated argument in the White House between President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy helped prompt another pro-Ukraine rally in downtown Milwaukee Sunday.
By our estimate, about 250 people demonstrated in front of the federal courthouse on E. Wisconsin Ave., enough that Milwaukee police closed off the block to vehicle traffic as a safety measure.
Some of the protesters were Ukrainian Americans, including Karina Tweedell. She read a statement from the American Coalition for Ukraine that blamed Friday’s argument on the U.S. and called it a “startling departure from diplomatic norms.”
Tweedell also questioned a U.S. vote at the United Nations last week against condemning Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago. "Where the United States sided with Russia, North Korea, and Iran against Ukraine and our traditional allies is deeply concerning," Tweedell said.
The U.S. supported a different resolution that did not call Russia the aggressor in the war or acknowledge Ukraine’s territorial integrity. The Trump administration emphasized that it called for a swift end to the conflict.
But several Democrats who attended Sunday’s rally also criticized the president’s policies and actions last week—including Rep. Gwen Moore of Milwaukee.
“I’m 73 years old, and this is the first time in my life that the United States has not been allied with our European allies against aggression," Moore told the crowd.
The White House Communications Office takes a much different view, issuing a statement that includes administration officials continuing to blame Zelenskyy for the Oval Office argument and claiming Trump is trying to achieve peace.
Meanwhile, European leaders met with Zelenskyy on Sunday and said a “coalition of the willing” will work on a new ceasefire proposal.
That announcement is positive news for Wisconsin Ukrainians President Halyna Salapata.
“Hopefully, Europe will stand up to Russian aggression. Europeans, like no one else, know what war means in Europe," Salapata tells WUWM.
Some European leaders are also discussing a military force to help keep the peace.
