With Monday marking three years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, community gathered this weekend to reflect on the resilience of the Ukrainian people while honoring those hurt and fallen in the war. 

It was standing room only at the Ukrainian American Community Center Saturday with a memorial ceremony filled with song, prayer and a showing of solidarity and strength from community leaders. 

“Support community and show everyone around that it matters, that people still dying, and we’re just desperate,” Jenya Kornukh, who still has family in Ukraine, said.

The night of reflection comes after a week full of developments surrounding efforts to end the war by world leaders, including President Donald Trump, who was critical of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at one point calling him a dictator and placing blame on Ukraine for starting the war. 

Officials also say plans are in the works for a summit to bring President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin together for a meeting. Zelenskyy stressed that he won’t agree to any deal to end the war unless he’s part of the negotiations. 

President Trump’s comments were a big focus of Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s remarks Saturday night. 

“We must not shut out our Ukrainian friends. And there is only one dictator in this story, and that is Vladimir Putin,” Sen. Klobuchar said, with applause and cheers following. 

While the uncertainty weighs heavily on the community, the strong show of support locally is helping them carry on. 

“I’m here today to stand up with my people and say that we’re here,” Kornukh added. “It’s brutal, and we really, really want to end it. Sorry, [I’m getting a little] emotional.”