10:06 p.m. ET, February 26, 2022
"The whole world right now needs to unite.” Ukraine supporters rally across US
From CNN's Dakin Andone, Sara Smart, Polo Sandoval and Sarah Jorgensen
People in New York's Times Square embrace during a rally in support of Ukraine on Saturday.
(Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images)
Cities across the world have seen rallies in support of Ukraine this weekend
as the invasion by Russian forces continues.
In the US, crowds gathered on Saturday in cities including Atlanta, Washington, DC, and New York.
New York: Olga Ladygima, who is from Kyiv, told CNN at a rally in Times Square she hasn’t slept for the last three nights, worrying about her loved ones who remain in Ukraine.
“I think that the whole world right now needs to unite,” Ladygima said, adding: “Now is the time to say no and stop one person who keeps in fear the whole world.”
Some Ukrainian supporters, like Merrick Brown, whose great-grandparents came to the US from Ukraine, think the international community should do more.
“I believe the US and NATO should provide military assistance to Ukraine,” Brown, who also attended the Times Square rally, said. He described the demonstration as peaceful and “more pro-Ukraine than anti-Russia.”
Atlanta: Dozens of people gathered downtown for a “Stand with Ukraine” rally. Some attendees wore blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag, while others carried signs that read, “Pray for Ukraine.”
Ukrainian Anton Kilpa, whose parents live in Kyiv,
told CNN affiliate WGCL, learned the invasion had begun when a Canadian-Ukrainian friend called him earlier this week, just before bed, and told him to phone his parents immediately.
“It was hard to believe,” Kilpa told WGCL. “It was (a) new reality.”
Washington, DC: Another crowd demonstrated in front of the White House. One demonstrator, JP Wheeler, said he was “just a concerned citizen” with no personal ties to Ukraine. “No family or friends, just a human connection and a desire to support the Ukrainians and (their) struggle,” Wheeler said.
A couple miles away, Eleanor Shiori Hughes, a graduate student at Georgetown University, left flowers on the steps of the Ukrainian embassy, where a sign read “Long Live Free Ukraine.”
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