PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Feb. 24 marks three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Dozens of demonstrators marched from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to City Hall Sunday afternoon to call for stronger U.S. solidarity against Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin.
Philadelphia is home to one of the nation’s largest Ukrainian populations. Protesters and supporters marched down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway as a sea of yellow and blue, the colors of Ukraine’s flag. Some waived signs or draped flags and banners over their shoulders.
Although they walked in solidarity, that offered little comfort for Orest Pazuniak.
“The more folks that show out, the better it is, but this is not a joyous occasion,” he said. “This is a somber march.”
Pavlo Koshtura fled Ukraine because of the war. He wants not only an end to the conflict but also a just outcome for his country.
“‘End war’ — it doesn’t mean it’s a victory,” he said. “It means to end this in the proper way, and to leave an independent country for us and not just surrender for Russia.”
Koshtura fled to Italy briefly before coming to the U.S. He added that he’s alarmed by Trump administration officials recently declining to characterize Russia as the aggressor in this conflict.
“Now is the crucial stage, because some government [officials] say ridiculous [things] like Ukraine [started] that war. It’s definitely not [the case]. Russia invaded in Ukraine since 2014, but it was a full-scale invasion in ’22,” he said.
The fourth year of fighting could be pivotal, as President Donald Trump uses his return to office last month to press for a peace deal. But Ukrainian and European officials have been rattled by his cordial approach to Putin and his tough words for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In a cascade of unwelcome developments for Kyiv, Trump has in recent days called Zelenskyy a dictator, suggested Ukraine is to blame for the war, and ended Putin’s three-year diplomatic isolation by the United States. U.S. officials have also indicated to Ukraine that its hopes of joining NATO are unlikely to be realized and that it probably won’t get back the land that Russia’s army has occupied, amounting to nearly 20% of the country.
Meanwhile, Putin’s troops are making steady progress on the battlefield while Ukraine is grappling with shortages of troops and weapons.
Ukraine has remained adamant about the security guarantees it says it needs to deter future Russian aggression.
Kohstura said Sunday’s march should serve as a reminder of Ukrainian resilience.
“We want to remember that Ukraine’s still fighting for its freedom.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.