WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Supporters gathered Sunday on the Southern Boulevard Bridge to show solidarity with Ukraine ahead of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting at Mar-a-Lago to meet President Donald Trump.
The peaceful “Rally in Support of Ukraine,” organized by the Ukrainian Association of Florida alongside local Ukrainian leaders, began at 11 a.m. on the bridge connecting West Palm Beach to Palm Beach, where demonstrators waved flags, held signs, and voiced calls for U.S. backing of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Zelenskyy said Sunday’s talks with the two leaders will cover security guarantees, a nearly finished 20-point plan, an economic agreement, and Ukraine’s territorial concerns in Donbas, which Russia has largely seized, per previous reports. The meeting comes after a wave of Russian strikes. Overnight, guided aerial bombs hit residential areas in the eastern city of Sloviansk, killing one person and injuring three, according to local officials.
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In a post to X, the Ukrainian president said he spoke with other world leaders to prepare ahead of the meeting:
The rally saw dozens of participants demonstrating with signs, Ukrainian flags, American flags, and some American flags upside down — signalling U.S. distress.
In a news release, UA Florida says they hope the U.S. will refuse to recognize Moscow’s “illegitimate” claims on Ukrainian land, and seek “ironclad” guarantees for Ukraine to prevent Russia from resuming the war.
In a statement, organizers said UA Florida is committed to:
- Urging the U.S. to sign a Mutual Defense Treaty with Ukraine. A legally binding treaty would provide Ukraine the security guarantees necessary to deter a future Russian invasion while putting America first by unlocking the military, technological, and economic benefits of an alliance with Ukraine.
- The immediate return of Ukraine’s 20,000 abducted children to the safety of their homeland.
- Emphasizing that genuine peace cannot legitimize or reward aggression, war, or occupation