‘Absurd and surreal’: Ukrainians in Alberta town hurt by Trump’s comments on war

VEGREVILLE, Alta. — Yuliia Kalutska doesn’t have the will to talk about plans for her future.

She says it’s because of rebukes this week of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump called the European leader a “dictator” and blamed Ukraine for starting the war.

“It’s hard not to watch the news, and it’s even harder to watch news,” said Kalutska, a 30-year-old Ukrainian who fled after the war began with her newborn son. They now live in Vegreville, a town east of Edmonton.

“(Trump’s comments) are absurd and surreal,” Kalutska said. “It makes me cry. It makes me feel horrible.

“I’m scared every single day.”

Monday marks the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The U.S. and Russia have been talking about a possible end to the war. Trump has warned Zelenskyy that he “better move fast” with negotiations or risk not having a nation to lead.

Zelenskyy has said Trump is falling into Russian disinformation.

“We have no idea where this is going. (Trump) is off his rocker. I hate to see it happening,” said Jerrold Lemko, a volunteer liaison for Ukrainian newcomers in Vegreville.

He said most of the recent talk in the town’s coffee shops is about Trump.

Many in the town of 6,000, known for its giant sculpture of an Easter egg, or Pysanka, have Ukrainian roots. The community has sponsored at least 125 people fleeing the war.

“If I feel this bad, I can’t imagine how newcomers are feeling because they have family there,” said Lemko, who has Ukrainian heritage.

Sheryl Cymbaliuk, finance chair for the Vegreville Stands With Ukraine support group, said Trump’s comments have been disappointing for community members.

“Social media is littered with the fallacies that Trump has been spreading, so there is frustration, more than we can even imagine when their families are still in Ukraine,” she said.

Some Ukrainians in Vegreville had hopes of returning to their homes one day.

“Now that dream might be slightly diminished,” Cymbaliuk said.

A march and church service in support of Ukraine are set for Sunday.

“We want to remind everybody that the war is not over and that Ukraine continues to need our support,” Cymbaliuk said.

Kalutska said she’ll be at the march with other Ukrainian women who fled the war and have become her support system. She plans to speak and share her story about how she fled with her son and left behind her family, some of whom are on the front lines of the fight.

Vegreville Mayor Tim MacPhee said it’s important for the town to show its support for the Ukrainian community.

“There was a lot of confidence in the community that maybe President Trump would have the ability to put (Russian President Vladimir Putin) in his place and try to bring this conflict to an end,” said MacPhee.

“I feel that we’ve all lost a lot of confidence.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 22, 2025.

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press