On Wednesday, it was less dark and cold, and they were joined by more than 40 members of the Tri-Lakes community, over half of whom were walking for the first time. Babcock said this was by far the largest number they’ve seen since they started walking last May.

Many first-time walkers said they were there because of how U.S. President Donald Trump treated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during their meeting on Friday, Feb. 28 in the Oval Office.

“I hate to say it, but thank you Trump and Vance,” Kukurudza said, as the first people began assembling in Riverside Park before the walk. She thinks Trump and Vance were disrespectful to Zelenskyy, and credits this with an increase in vocal support for Ukraine.

Kukurudza, whose grandparents were from Ukraine, has been organizing efforts locally to remember the ongoing toll of the war and to raise support. She has also traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in the Ukraine Action Summit and visited North Country Rep. Elise Stefanik’s office.

Community members pass around signs before walking to support Ukraine at Riverside Park on Wednesday. (Enterprise photo — Grace McIntyre)

She said this week, her email was “blowing up” with people who had never participated in the walk before, who were asking how they could get involved. Before every walk, she unpacks a few large, plastic sunflowers — which have become a universal symbol of peace for Ukraine — from her trunk. This week, she was holding some real sunflowers wrapped in brown paper, a gift from a friend who couldn’t come to the walk but wanted to show support.

John Monroe read a story in the Enterprise in January about the Walk for Ukraine. At the time, local Ukrainian and USA Luge Marketing Manager, Yuliia Tyshevych, said that people would sometimes ask her if the war was still happening in Ukraine.

“That broke my heart,” Monroe said. “And we’ve been walking with them ever since. It breaks my heart that there are Americans that don’t even know, that don’t care.”

Anita Uhorchak Brundage recently came across the Walk for Ukraine group. Her grandfather moved from Ukraine to Jersey City in 1905, buying a four-story building in the Slavic ghetto and establishing himself as a pharmacist. Her father and brother also became pharmacists. Uhorchak Brundage moved to Long Lake in 1986.

“I was raised to be really patriotic and to have respect for America and for our allies,” she said. “I have never been so embarrassed in all of my life with our country, with the way that Zelensky was treated in the Oval Office.”

John Monroe, center, holds a sign following the weekly “Walk for Ukraine” on River Street in Saranac Lake on Wednesday.(Enterprise photo — Grace McIntyre)

During the walk, Babcock handed out postcards with the address of the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington. for people to send notes of support. Kukurudza encourages people to call their congressional representatives and tell them to support Ukraine by removing the pause on aid and intelligence sharing, while also protecting refugees and making Ukraine a part of peace talks.

They plan to continue walking at 5:15 p.m. on Wednesdays, starting at Riverside Park in Saranac Lake, Kukurudza said.

Thursday afternoon, Reuters reported that the Trump administration was planning to revoke temporary legal status for 240,000 Ukrainians living in the U.S. This decision had not been confirmed by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt as of press time on Thursday.