When I headed to today’s Ukrainian Independence Day banquet at the Chicago Ukrainian Cultural Center, I had two questions in mind. First, were the members of Chicago’s Ukrainian Community concerned about how President Trump planned to end the War in Ukraine. He certainly didn’t end it on January 20, 2025, as he had promised.

Second, was the community concerned about the holds placed by Trump’s Department of Homeland Security on several programs permitting immigrants to enter the United States? Newspaper reports indicated that there was no exception for Ukrainians fleeing the war-torn country.

In keeping with the prior two banquets that I have attended, today’s banquet included a cocktail hour, followed by the program, and then a late lunch. As is the case at every Chicago Ukrainian Community event, everyone joined in the singing of both the United States and Ukrainian National anthems. Because it was Independence Day, the program opened with Ukrainians who served in the U.S. military presenting the colors.

Immediately following the speeches, several people received community service awards. I was a bit disappointed because unlike prior years, the awards were handed out without extensive details about why the recipients deserved recognition.

Today’s speakers included Representatives Danny Davis and Mike Quigley, U.S. Ambassador William B. Taylor, Oleksandra Ustinova whose is a member of the Ukrainian National Parliament, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, and Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi.

For the most part, the speeches were anodyne, with no new ground being covered. I went to hear Ambassador Taylor, who currently is Vice President, Europe and Russia at the U.S. Institute of Peace. In 2019, he served as chargé d’affaires at the U.S. embassy in Kyiv and as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from 2006 to 2009. During the Arab Spring, he oversaw U.S. assistance and support to Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Syria.

Taylor’s speech was disappointing, but I should not been surprised: he is a diplomat, schooled in talking without saying anything. His message was simple: without doubt, Ukraine would be victorious. He went out of his way to avoid referencing President Trump by name.

Representative Quigley, who has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine, was more specific. He said Ukraine would prevail, with its borders being restored—although I am unclear whether he meant Ukraine’s pre-February 24, 2022 or pre-2014 borders. He also addressed Ukraine’s long-term security, including its eventual admission to NATO.

As for my two questions: Somewhat surprisingly, the room was rather upbeat—at least people were not glum. Not much was said about Trump, although one person did note the promise to end the war on Day 1 of his presidency. As for asylum, the person I spoke with seemed to take the Trump freeze in stride. Much to its credit, the community has flown wounded Ukrainian military personnel to Chicago for medical treatment. I was told that the freeze would not affect the community’s ability to continue providing medical assistance because there is a special exemption for such medical treatment.

Toward the end of the program, Zaher Sahloul was invited to the podium. Sahloul is a Syrian American and President of MedGlobal Humanitarian & Refugee Advocate. He recounted receiving a text from a member of the Ukrainian Parliament two days before the Assad regime fell, telling him that the Ukrainians were “praying for your country.” Someone was also on hand from Taiwan.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]

Copyright 2025, Jack B. Siegel. All Rights Reserved. Do Not Alter, Copy, Display, Distribute, Download, Duplicate, or Reproduce Without the Prior Written Consent of the Copyright Holder.