June 26, 2015

UCC and UWC leaders conclude working visit to Ukraine

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KYIV – The national president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), Paul Grod, concluded a five-day working visit to Ukraine (June 6-10). Mr. Grod accompanied Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada as part of the delegation for Mr. Harper’s June 6 visit to Ukraine in advance of the G-7 summit in Germany.

“On behalf the Ukrainian Canadian community, I thank Prime Minister Harper for his important and timely visit to Ukraine ahead of the G-7 Summit, and for his strong and unequivocal advocacy for Ukraine at the G-7 summit,” Mr. Grod said.
The UCC president also participated in the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) delegation led by President Eugene Czolij, that also included Vice-President Olena Koszarny, Executive Committee member Zenon Potichnyj, Secretary General Stefan Romaniw, and Ukraine Mission Director Serhiy Kasyanchuk.

Following a working meeting with President Petro Poroshenko (see The Ukrainian Weekly, June 21), the UWC leadership attended a ceremony at which the president presented the Hero of Ukraine award (posthumously) to the family of Senior Lt. Ivan Zubkov, who died heroically defending the Donetsk airport. He left behind a young widow, a 12-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son.

Lt. Zubkov holds a special place in the hearts of over 25 Canadian families who, through the “Sponsor a Soldier” program endorsed by the UWC and the UCC, sponsored 50 soldiers under the lieutenant’s command, members of the elite 90th Battalion of the 95th Brigade, providing them with uniforms, boots, thermal underwear, tactical gloves, sleeping bags and other non-lethal equipment. The 90th Battalion served throughout the battle for Donetsk airport and continues to hold the frontlines at Vodiane and Opytne near Donetsk.

”Ivan Ivanovych Zubkov will always hold a special place in my heart for his compassion, the respect he showed to his men and his love for his family and his country. I will remember him always. He is a true hero whose name must be known by all Ukrainians both in Ukraine and throughout the world. It was a privilege to be present at this important ceremony honoring Ukraine’s fallen heroes and those who continue to serve their beloved country. My heart goes out to the families of all those who have paid the ultimate price to defend Ukraine from Russia’s aggression. Heroes Never Die!” Ms. Koszarny stated.

Mr. Grod and the UWC delegation met with Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Culture Viacheslav Kyrylenko, who thanked the UWC for its support for Ukraine during its battle for territorial integrity, democracy and European choice. Minister Kyrylenko particularly highlighted the UWC’s Patriot Defence Project, led by Dr. Ulana Suprun, UWC director of humanitarian initiatives, which provides first-aid training and Improved First Aid Kits (IFAKs) to Ukraine’s armed forces.

Mr. Grod also met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin, Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers Hanna Onyshchenko, and several other Ukrainian government officials and civil society representatives.

On the issue of defense, Mr. Grod and the chair of the UCC’s Ukraine Advisory Council, Ms. Koszarny, met with Minister of Defense Stefan Poltorak, Chief of Defense Staff Viktor Muzhenko and Deputy Chief of Staff (Defense) to the President Andriy Taranov.

“It was clear to me that Canada is clearly ahead of its allies in providing military support to Ukraine for which the Ukrainians are very grateful. Ukraine is requesting that Canada provide Ukraine with the defensive weapons, equipment and training it needs to protect its territorial integrity and the lives of the civilian population, which is subjected to continuous terrorist attacks. This includes the provision of communications and intelligence capabilities to Ukraine’s armed forces, including counter-artillery radar systems,” said Mr. Grod.

An effective working relationship was established with the Verkhovna Rada Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and its chair, Hanna Hopko, who has involved the UWC in most of its key working groups.
Supporting Ukraine in the information war, the UCC and UWC have been instrumental in supporting the Atlantic Council’s Ukraine in Europe Initiative by providing funding and resources. The UWC delegation presented the Atlantic Council’s latest report, “Hiding in Plain Sight: Putin’s War in Ukraine” to Ukrainian government officials and are planning a major release of the report in Ukraine with the Atlantic Council in the coming weeks. The report details Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and states, “Russia is at war with Ukraine. Russian citizens and soldiers are fighting and dying in a war of their government’s own making. President Vladimir Putin continues to deny Russian involvement in the fighting, but the evidence is overwhelming and indisputable. Drawing upon open source information that is ‘hiding in plain sight,’ this report provides irrefutable evidence of direct Russian military involvement in eastern Ukraine.”
The UCC and the UWC are working with the late Boris Nemtsov’s organization to distribute his report “Putin. War.” Having met with Ukraine’s Minister of Information Yuriy Stets, the UWC and the UCC agreed to work together to distribute these reports in occupied territories of Ukraine.

Together with Mr. Potichnyj, who is president of the Canada Ukraine Chamber of Commerce, and Mr. Kasyanchuk, director of the UWC Ukraine Mission, Mr. Grod met with Ukrainian government officials engaged in Canada Ukraine Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA) negotiations, including Minister of Agriculture Oleksiy Pavlenko, Deputy Minister for Economic Development Nataliya Mykolska and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Vadym Prystaiko to discuss the status and key obstacles to the CUFTA.

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