SARASOTA, Fla. — More fallout from Russia's attacks on Ukraine but this time locally. A city commissioner in Sarasota wants to terminate the city of Sarasota's sister city relationship with the Russian city of Vladimir.
A letter from City Commissioner Hagen Brody to the Sister City Association has been added to the Mar. 7 agenda for the next commission meeting. The city of Sarasota's sister city partnership with Vladimir, located about 120 miles east of Moscow, has been ongoing for 28 years with very friendly and active exchange and reciprocity.
"Over the years that relationship has been strengthened by us sending art and resources and them sending things our way in," said Sarasota Mayor Erik Arroyo.
But, a popular chess match that was being planned between leaders of the Russian sister city and Sarasota city leaders was canceled once Russia's invasion of Ukraine commenced.
In light of the escalation, the relationship hangs in the balance, and depending on how commissioners vote on the issue, the entire sister city relationship with Vladimir could be nixed too.
"We cannot overlook this unprovoked military invasion by continuing our relationship and should immediately dissolve our relationship," Brody wrote in the letter.
"While largely symbolic, this is in line with the international community's movement to isolate Russia at every level. Not to mention, Vladimir Russia is home to one of three nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile bases, the very weapons their leader is actively threatening western cities with," Hagen added in an additional statement to 10 Tampa Bay.
Mayor Arroyo, who said the city is planning resolutions in support of Ukraine and has finalized plans to light up the Ringling Boulevard Bridge in Ukraine's flag colors, said discussing the sister city issue is necessary.
"In light of all that, we should be discussing whether this municipal government is against or for those actions," Arroyo said.
But the president of the non-profit, Sister City Association of Sarasota said cutting ties at this time is short-sighted.
"It's very very important what we do and it could not be more important in any of our cities right now than Russia," said Mariam Kramer with the Sister Cities Association of Sarasota.
Under its agreement with the city of Sarasota, the commission can determine the number and relationship status of its sister city partnerships, according to a city spokesperson.
"We promote peace, we promote understanding between peoples underneath the government level, so when we cancel this relationship, we merely alienate people underneath Putin and strengthen his position," Kramer said.
Meanwhile, the city of St. Petersburg, whose sister city is St. Petersburg in Russia, has no plans to cut ties.
"The attacks on Ukraine are deeply disturbing. We condemn the ongoing violence and unprovoked attacks on Ukraine's sovereignty. However, we stand with Russian citizens who also oppose their nation's actions, including the more than 1 million who have signed onto a petition calling for an end to the war in Ukraine, and will not be rescinding our sister city agreement with St. Petersburg, Russia," said Mayor Ken Welch in a statement to 10 Tampa Bay.
"Further, on Sunday I instructed city staff to illuminate the branding poles throughout the Pier district in blue and yellow as a sign of solidarity with Ukraine and its people. They will remain lit in the Ukrainian flag colors indefinitely," Mayor Welch said.
The city of North Port, which has more than 5,000 Ukrainian-Americans as residents, established a sister city relationship with the city of Truskavets in Ukraine in 2010. However, that relationship has been in limbo after the committee which set it up was dissolved in 2015, according to city officials.
"Technically, the Resolution is still in place because it has never been repealed or replaced. However, there has been no activity in quite a few years," said North Port spokesperson Josh Taylor.
Taylor also said that the sister city relationship is the only one ever established by the City of North Port.