MILWAUKEE — When the priest at St Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church addressed his congregation Sunday in their native tongue, you didn’t have to speak the language to pick up on the passion or the mention of President Donald Trump.
For parishioners at the Milwaukee church, President Trump and Vice President JD Vance’s heated exchange with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy Friday hits hard.
“It was absolutely heartbreaking,” parish administrator Joseph Spolowicz said. “I’ve never seen something so awful in terms of disrespect for another national leader.”
It’s a sentiment shared by fellow churchgoer Anya Nakonechna, who said the interaction between world leaders was difficult to watch.
"People can disagree with politics, but I mean we're the victim here,” Nakonechna said. "The way that the whole meeting was approached, I'm sorry, the American side was just not diplomatic.”
The pair is urging American leaders to reconsider the global implications of the Russia-Ukraine war.
“If Russia is allowed to prevail, what message is that sending to the world?” Spolowicz said. “This is the gateway for Russia to move into other European countries and just take over.”
Three years after Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, Spolowicz is still hoping for a path forward with America’s support.
“I hope that President Trump has a turnabout in the way he’s looking at things because I think it’s short-sighted in some ways,” he said. "There's a bad blip here but we need to move on from this.”
To get through, congregation members like Nakonechna said they’re relying on their community for strength and making sure to highlight movements of joy.
"It's important to stick together and support one another no matter what phase in life we are,” she said. “Who if not us?”
Sunday parishioners also celebrated their priest’s birthday, just ahead of his planned retirement and return to Ukraine.
Spolowicz said it’s community connections like that, that serve as a reminder of what they and their loved ones are fighting for.
Zelenskyy, Trump, and Vance met Friday hoping to come to an agreement that would give the U.S. access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals in exchange for security guarantees in Ukraine.
Since the rough exchange in the Oval Office, over the weekend, Zelenskyy met with European leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who are expected to help mend relations and secure Ukraine's future.
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