The Grand Rapids City Commission approved an agreement to add Dnipro, Ukraine, to its list of “sister cities” on Tuesday, less than one week after a Russian attack on a medical warehouse there.
Grand Rapids defines a sister city via its website as “friendships between U.S. and foreign cities,” which typically begin by identifying shared traits between the two. The website cites the work of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower in promoting the concept following World War II.
“The main purpose of the program is to get know [sic] and understand people from other cultures,” the site reads. “Sister cities create relationships through the exchanges of culture, education, business and humanitarian efforts.”
The agreement approved by the commission acknowledges Dnipro’s “extraordinary resilience, courage, and commitment to democratic values” while facing a “period of significant hardship and conflict” since the 2023 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
During Tuesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, the Ukrainian Society of Michigan shared a recorded message from Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov who described his city as one that has “shaken off the Soviet yoke.”
He also highlighted a shared “love of art” between Grand Rapids and Dnipro and said the sister city agreement comes as a “ray of hope” amid the “horrors of the enemy shelling” the city is enduring.
“Because we want our friendship to last for years, we look forward to seeing you here in our Dnipro, wounded, but remaining strong and beautiful,” Filatov said.
A city spokesperson directed The Grand Rapids Herald to information in the commission’s agenda when reached for comment. They added that “travel by City staff within Ukraine is not anticipated at this time.”
Filatov’s office did not respond to a request for comment from The Grand Rapids Herald.
Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand in comments from the dais Tuesday acknowledged the ongoing war as a factor in the sister city designation and said it is “pivotal now that we stand in solidarity with Ukraine.”
“I am very clear that Ukraine is facing an invasion by a country that has no real interest in democracy,” LaGrand said. “It is a fundamental challenge to liberty on the planet. Standing in solidarity with Ukraine means standing in solidarity with cities that are on the frontlines.”
Dnipro lies roughly 90 miles northwest of the frontlines of the war, according to maps published by the Institute for the Study of War.
Dnipro became a sister city after first being recognized as a “Friendship City” in a proclamation by former Mayor Rosalynn Bliss in 2023. That document acknowledged the way Grand Rapids had become a “home away from home” for Ukrainian immigrants and refugees.
Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed via X last week that Russia “struck and destroyed” a WHO warehouse in Dnipro. The facility held “humanitarian medical supplies intended for frontline health facilities — primarily WHO emergency health supplies.” Workers there managed to evacuate 130 pallets of supplies ahead of the attack.
“At this time, no casualties have been reported,” he wrote. “I cannot say loudly enough: attacks on health care MUST STOP. Otherwise, people are deprived of lifesaving healthcare. Even wars have rules. One of those is that health must be protected!”
French newspaper Le Monde in March described Dnipro as “a top priority for the Russian army,” that if captured, “would mark a real turning point in the war.”
Grand Rapids’ sister city relationships are managed by the nonprofit Grand Rapids Sister Cities International, led by Katherine Lee Baker, the manager for diversity and inclusion at Meijer. Also on that board are Assistant to the Mayor Laura Olson and Chief of Staff to the City Manager Lou Canfield.
Grand Rapids currently has seven other sister cities. Those include Omihachiman, Japan; Bielsko-Biala, Poland; Ga District, Ghana; Gangnam-gu, South Korea; Perugia, Italy; Zapopan, Mexico and Vaughan, Canada.
This story has been updated to include Vaughan, Canada as a sister city.
Write to jackson@grherald.com