Under the motto ‘Support Ukraine, fight like a Ukrainian’, rallies are scheduled in Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, Faro, Viseu, Fátima, and Funchal, marking the formal separation from the former Soviet Union on August 24, 1991. These rallies are once again underscored by the war initiated over three years ago by neighboring Russia.
“Although this war has lasted longer than we initially thought, the Portuguese continue to help and support Ukraine,” noted Pavlo Sadokha, president of the Association of Ukrainians in Portugal, highlighting that one of the aims of the rallies is to “thank Portugal, its society, the government, and politicians.”
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian community, comprised of approximately one hundred thousand residents, more than half of whom are refugees, celebrates independence amid intensified negotiations for a resolution to the conflict, led by U.S. President Donald Trump, though the outlook remains uncertain.
Following a busy week starting with a summit between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, and subsequent meetings at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and leading European leaders, Pavlo Sadokha concludes that peace can only come through force.
The discussions demonstrated “once again that Putin does not want to end this war, and unfortunately, diplomacy does not work,” lamented the association president, expressing regret that the Kremlin leader has not abandoned plans to occupy Ukraine and oust Kyiv’s authorities.
“Therefore, once again this year, we will ask Portugal and the Portuguese government to continue supporting Ukraine,” said the association president, suggesting additional sanctions on Moscow as a means to achieve this.
Pavlo Sadokha warns that though physically shielded from the Russian invasion by distance, all Ukrainians in Portugal are affected by the conflict, either because they are refugees who had to leave their homes, or because they – even those who arrived 25 years ago – “have family or friends who died, were injured, or are suffering from this war.”
In this sense, he comments that exchanging territories as part of a peace solution, raised during discussions in Alaska and Washington, is an idea Ukrainians are unwilling to accept.
The community leader differentiates between the possibility of a ceasefire and freezing the conflict along the current front lines, which they might agree to, but warns that “no Ukrainian will accept, as proposed, ceding Crimea or Donbass” to Russia.
“First of all, it is impossible because it is enshrined in our Constitution and would require a referendum,” he emphasizes, referring to Ukraine’s territorial integrity, which is also internationally recognized and includes the eastern region and Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014.
For Pavlo Sadokha, “no politician can decide alone,” not even Zelensky, regarding the separation of these territories, stressing that “the entire Ukrainian people” must be heard, and he is convinced their response would be no.
The president of the Association of Ukrainians will express gratitude to the American leader if “this war stops where it is,” but fears that it is unclear what “Trump wants or does not want,” as he “changes his mind every week.”
Once again, he warns both the White House leader and the Kremlin counterpart that “no world politician can dictate to the Ukrainian people what they should concede or not.”
The president of the Association of Ukrainians acknowledges that his compatriots are “tired of this war,” after more than three years of conflict that began on February 24, 2022, with the full-scale invasion by Russian forces.
“But everyone knows this war is for survival, and we have no choice, we must defend ourselves,” he explains, reiterating that “Putin’s goal is to make Ukraine disappear,” and he will only be stopped if “Russia becomes weaker and unable to continue fighting.”
Ukrainians represent the largest refugee community in Portugal, with about 54,000 people, a number that, according to Pavlo Sadokha, has remained stable for a year and a half, reflecting the lack of significant developments on the battlefield, despite recent Russian advances in the country’s east.
Information shared by the Ukrainian diaspora and pro-Kyiv activists indicates that Independence Day will be marked in major European cities and also in countries outside the continent, including Australia, Brazil, Japan, Canada, and the United States, where a rally is planned near the White House in Washington, which has become central to discussions on ending the conflict.
