Chicago suspends ‘Sister City’ relationship with Moscow

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine escalates, Chicago has severed its symbolic “Sister City” relationship with Moscow.

On Tuesday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced she directed World Business Chicago to suspend Chicago’s “Sister City” relationship with the Russian capital.

“In light of recent events and upon reflection over these last few days, I believe that Chicago needs to go further in its definitive actions against Russia,” Lightfoot said in a statement. “While this is not a decision I enter into lightly, we must send an unambiguous message: we strongly condemn all actions by the Putin regime.”

The city will uphold the suspension until “the end of hostilities against Ukraine and the Putin regime is held accountable for its crimes,” Lightfoot said.

The move comes after 33 aldermen filed an order Monday calling for the commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events to immediately revoke Moscow’s Sister City status.

The aldermen’s order also called for the return of all cultural gifts and disbanding of associated advisory committees.

“We know that many Russians in Chicago and around the world are not supportive of Putin’s egregious actions against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people,” Michael Fassnacht, president and CEO of World Business Chicago, said in a statement. “This suspension is a strong signal of our support of the Ukrainian people in this time of unimaginable pain and suffering.”

The Sister City program was started in 1960 under Mayor Richard J. Daley’s administration. It’s a largely symbolic program intended to promote cultural exchange, peace and respect between people from different countries. According to the program’s website. Chicago’s partnership with Moscow began in 1997.

Twenty-nine other world cities also have Sister City status with Chicago — including Kyiv, Ukraine, Amman, Jordan, Mexico City, Mexico, Paris, France, Shanghai, China and Sydney, Australia.

The aldermen’s order noted some countries with Sister City participants have not condemned Russia’s actions, and further called for the revocation of “any Sister City status for any participating nation that vocalizes support for this unprovoked aggression against the Ukrainian people.”