WOULDN’T GET INTO SPECIFICS ABOUT THE FEBRUARY COMPLAINT. THE STURGIS PLANT JUST STARTED
PRODUCING BABY FORMULA AGAIN
LAST WEEKEND.
>> TODAY WORLD LEADERS ARE
ADDRESSING ACCUSATIONS THAT
RUSSIA HAS STOLEN HUNDREDS OF
TONS OF UKRAINIAN GRAIN
TURNING FOOD INTO A WEAPON OF
WAR. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT
ZELENSKY IS NOW CALLING FOR
THE UN’S FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
ORGANIZATION TO EXPEL RUSSIA.
HE’S ALSO CALLING ON AMERICAN
CITIES CALLING OUT AMERICAN
CITIES, ACTUALLY INCLUDING
JACKSONVILLE FOR HAVING
DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH RUSSIA.
IT’S BECAUSE JACKSONVILLE HAS
CONSIDERED THE RUSSIAN CITY OF
MURMANSK ONE OF ITS SISTER
CITIES FOR ALMOST 50 YEARS.
NOW NEWS 4 JAX REPORTER JOE
MCLEAN HAS THE STORY.
JACKSONVILLE’S COMPLICATED
TIES TO THE NATION’S LARGEST
COUNTRY. JOE.
>> YEAH. WELL, THE IDEA BEHIND
SISTER CITIES IS TO FOSTER
GOODWILL BETWEEN 2 DIFFERENT
CULTURES. WELL, IN AN ADDRESS
TO A GROUP OF UNITED STATES
MAYORS, THE UKRAINIAN
PRESIDENT SAID THAT THE
RUSSIAN INVASION OF HIS
COUNTRY SHOULD HAVE DRIED UP
ALL THAT GOODWILL.
>> UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT,
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY CAN BE
HEARD HERE NAMING JACKSONVILLE
AND A HANDFUL OF OTHER U.S.
CITIES THAT WILL MAINTAIN A
SPECIAL DIPLOMATIC STATUS WITH
COUNTERPARTS CITY IN RUSSIA TO
YOU MUST LOT JACKSON EVEN
MINDS THE MESSAGE WAS
DELIVERED IN LAS VEGAS ON
FRIDAY, TRANSLATED TO ENGLISH
FOR THE U.S. CONFERENCE OF
MAYORS. YOU KNOW THAT DOZENS
OF AMERICAN CITIES MAINTAIN
THE SO-CALLED BROTHERHOOD WITH
THE CITIES OF THE RUSSIAN
FEDERATION, CHICAGO AND
MOSCOW’S JACKSONVILLE AND MORE
MONTHS. THAT’S ON THE SAN
DIEGO AND BODIES FOR STOCK YOU
OUT MONEY AND TO LA.
>> MONTHS BECAME SISTER CITIES
WITH JACKSONVILLE IN 1975. BUT
IT WASN’T THE FIRST OR THE
LAST OF THE RIVER CITY’S
INTERNATIONAL TIES.
>> JACKSONVILLE ACTUALLY HAS 8
SISTER CITIES AROUND THE
WORLD. YOU CAN SEE THE FLAGS
FROM EACH ONE OF THOSE NATIONS
DISPLAYED HERE IN THE ATRIUM
IN CITY HALL. BUT WHEN WE
ARRIVED TODAY, WE FOUND THAT
THE RUSSIAN FLAG IS NOT AMONG
THE OTHERS. WHEN I ASKED CITY
OFFICIALS ABOUT THIS, A
STAFFER FROM VISIT
JACKSONVILLE SAID HE WASN’T
AWARE OF THE MISSING FLAG AND
REFERRED ME TO THE PRESIDENT
OF THE JACKSONVILLE SISTER
CITIES ASSOCIATION, THE GROUP
THAT FACILITATES ALL THOSE
PARTNERSHIPS, ITS PRESIDENT
TELLS ME SHE DOESN’T KNOW
WHERE THE FLAG WENT AND THAT
WHILE THE RELATIONSHIP WITH MY
MOM HAS BEEN DORMANT FOR THE
PAST 5 YEARS, IT IS STILL IN
PLACE. I ALSO ASKED
JACKSONVILLE CITIZENS, SOME OF
WHOM DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH
THE LONG DISTANCE
RELATIONSHIP. I DO NOT CONDONE
THEIR ACTIONS AGAINST THE
UKRAINE, BUT THAT THAT’S THE
ACTIONS OF A SMALL FEW. NOT
THE MANY STILL OTHERS LIKE
TERRY TERRELL SAY CUTTING TIES
WITH RUSSIA AND ANY NATION
THAT SUPPORTS IT IS LONG
OVERDUE. WHAT I THINK THEY
SHOULD.
>> TO ALL THE RUSSIAN FLAG AND
EVERYBODY DEAL RUSSIA. IT.
FLAG BACK IN A BOX SEND IT
BACK TO SAY.
>> WE ARE CUTTING OUR WITH YOU
AND CUTTING TIES WOULD BE THE
POINT ACCORDING TO ZELENSKY IS
MESSAGE. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT
ASKS, WHAT DO THESE
CONNECTIONS GIVE NOTHING BUT
THEY GIVE RUSSIA OPPORTUNITY
TO SAY EVEN AFTER THE
BEGINNING OF SUCH AWARD, THIS
THAT IT IS NOT ISOLATED IS OUT
WITH THE POLICE, THE KNEE.
>> THE SISTER CITIES
INTERNATIONAL SOUTH EAST
CONFERENCE IS SET TO BE HOSTED
HERE IN JACKSONVILLE NEXT
MONTH. THE PRESIDENT OF THE
JACKSONVILLE CHAPTER, THOUGH,
SAID THE RUSSIAN DELEGATION
HAS NOT BEEN INVITED.
REPORTING LIVE IN KLEIN
CHANNEL 4, THE LOCAL STATION.
>> AND JOE, YOU ALSO LOOK INTO
OTHER NATIONS WITH SISTER CITY
TIES TO JACKSONVILLE.
>> YES, I THE FIRST ONE WAS IN
1967. THAT WAS WITH THE
ARGENTINIAN CITY OF BAHIA
BLANCA. AFTER RUSSIA, THE MADE
THE SISTER CITY IN 1975. SINCE
THEN, JACKSONVILLE HAS MADE
THESE PARTNERSHIPS WITH U.S.
CITIES IN SOUTH KOREA, FRANCE,
CHINA, SOUTH AFRICA, BRAZIL
AND THE U.S. TERRITORY OF
PUERTO RICO. IT ALSO HAS 3
FRIENDSHIP CITY’S 3 OTHER
CITIES IN CHINA. THEY CONSIDER
FRIENDSHIP CITIES. THAT’S A
LESS FORMAL CONNECTION. BACK