Two days before the Trump administration opposed an ally-backed resolution demanding that Russia withdraw from Ukraine, Santa Barbara’s Ukrainian community and supporters gathered on the corner of State and Anapamu streets to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The mood was far less sprightly as rally-goers, decked in vibrant hues of blue and yellow, looked back mournfully on three long years of loss.
“Our only flaw is that we want to live in freedom, and we want to build our future based on democracy,” said Tatyana Taruta, an organizer of the February 22 rally who splits her time between family in Mariupol and Santa Barbara. “It’s not a war of necessity. … It’s a war in the name of tyranny.”
The Trump administration has been negotiating a deal with Ukraine that would trade billions of dollars’ worth of Ukrainian minerals for U.S. aid. However, tensions have increased between the two parties based on discussions between President Trump and President Vladimir Putin without Ukraine or other European allies at the table.
At a press conference in Kyiv on February 23, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would step down if it meant peace in his country or NATO membership for Ukraine. President Trump threatened multiple times to pull funding for Ukrainian aid and has voiced opposition to allowing the war-torn country to join NATO.
“The United States, in a treaty, gave Ukraine its word long ago … ‘We will defend you,’” said Santa Barbara County Supervisor Joan Hartmann at the rally. “Now, we are betraying that trust. If we do that, we can never be trusted again.”
“On this anniversary, we must fight back against the harmful rhetoric falsely blaming Ukraine for this war and hold President Trump accountable for beginning to turn his back on our democratic ally,” said Congressmember Salud Carbajal in a statement to the Independent. “We must always stand with Ukraine.”
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