Protesters calling for fair peace for Ukraine gathered on the Boston Common Saturday for an emergency rally after a clash between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump on Friday ended without the signing of a deal between the two countries.
Organized by Boston Supports Ukraine and Ukrainian Boston, demonstrators are hoping for an end to the war in Ukraine and emphasized the importance of standing in solidarity with the country that was invaded. Around 400 people rallied to hold the United States to its promises and underscored the importance of standing up for democracy.
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"I believe in democracy and I believe in freedom and as an indigenous American I think that it’s important for us Americans to hold the USA to its promises of freedom and democracy. We Americans, we need to stand up and make our voices heard that we stand as Americans for democracy, for freedom, for liberty," said Kylie Bemis, who attended the rally.
The event comes after Friday's fiery meeting inside the White House between Zelenskyy and Trump. Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Zelenskyy could be seen arguing over the state of the war and whether diplomacy with Russia could lead to its end. The confrontation led to raised voices and ended with Zelenskyy leaving the White House without signing a deal that would give the US access to rare earth minerals -- the original purpose of the visit.
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Trump posted on his Truth Social website after the meeting ended.
"He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office," Trump wrote. "He can come back when he is ready for Peace."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNBC Saturday that there was no specific thing that Zelenskyy said in the Oval Office that the president objected to, but the tone and manner in which he said it.
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After leaving Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to the U.S. and said it's crucial for Ukraine to have Trump's backing. It was a sentiment echoed by Ukrainians who attended Saturday's rally.
"Ukrainians want peace. We want to make agreement. We want to have a deal with the United States, but we need security guarantees for our country. We don’t want Russia invading Ukraine again," Daria Sakhniuk told NBC10 Boston.
She added that she was very upset because the meeting did not go how she expected, but she has faith that Trump and Zelenskyy will come back to the table.
Zelenskyy said in a Fox News interview that he did not believe he owned Trump an apology for the outburst in the Oval Office, but expressed regret that the back & forth happened on television and said he believes his relationship with Trump and America will survive.
