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U.S. Congressmen voice support for Ukraine during surprise visit to Kyiv
Visit comes as Russia’s foreboding NS2 pipeline completed

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KYIV – A group of five U.S. lawmakers led by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) paid an unexpected visit to Ukraine on the same day that the Russian operator of a controversial natural-gas pipeline announced that it had completed the final stages of welding it together.

Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and Rep. William Timmons (R-S.C.) met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other high-level officials to reinforce their bicameral legislature’s bipartisan support for the country’s national security.

Ukraine

During U.S. trip, Zelenskyy and Ukrainian delegation met with leadership of Apple, Google

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LVIV – During his trip to the United States, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Apple headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., on September 2 where he met with the company’s chief executive officer, Tim Cook, according to the office of the Ukrainian president.

Additionally, during the trip to the U.S., Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transfor­mation Mykhailo Fedorov met with Google’s vice president to discuss YouTube’s recommendation algorithm, as well as programs aimed to encourage Ukrainian content creators on YouTube, Mr. Zelenskyy’s office reported.

Ukraine

In Stanford University speech, President Zelenskyy says Ukrainians believe anything is possible

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LVIV – During an official visit to the United States, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed a group of students, academics and entrepreneurs at Stanford University on September 2. Mr. Zelenskyy spoke on the topics of digitalization, dual citizenship, Belarus and the dynamic growth of the IT sector in Ukraine, according to the office of the Ukrainian president.

Mr. Zelenskyy was welcomed to the university by Francis Fukuyama, the director of the Center on Democracy, Deve­lopment and the Rule of Law at Stanford University, and Michael McFaul, director of the school’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.

Analysis

U.S.-Ukraine strategic partnership gets another lease on life

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelens­kyy’s visit to the United States (August 31-September 2) succeeded, at least, in halting the degradation of the bilateral relationship, under way since 2019, particularly after the advent of the Joseph Biden administration. The White House’s temptation of a neo-reset with Russia has translated into neglect of Ukraine and decisions detrimental to it (see below).

Mr. Zelenskyy’s Washington visit has nevertheless prompted both governments to refocus on their long-declared but under-fulfilled strategic partnership. Major statements of intent at the inter-governmental and private-sector levels during this visit, coupled with bipartisan Congres­sional support, have given the strategic partnership the chance of a fresh start.

Newsbriefs

NEWSBRIEFS

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NS2 critic appointed to State Department

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has appointed an outspoken critic of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 (NS2) pipeline to oversee policy for Central and Eastern Europe at the State Department following backlash over its decision to allow the project to move ahead. Robin Dunnigan, who served as deputy assistant secretary for energy diplomacy in the State Department’s Bureau of Energy Resources from 2014 to 2017, will help craft policy toward Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, as well as Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, a spokesperson told RFE/RL.

UNA Forum

Ukrainian National Association seeks applicants for executive positions
Deadline for applications is October 31

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PARSIPPANY, N.J. – The Ukrainian National Association (UNA) will hold its 40th quadrennial convention in May 2022. That convention will mark a pivotal moment for the UNA, which recently adopted a new corporate governance structure that replaced the organization’s Executive Committee with a new Corporate Board of Directors.

At the upcoming convention, delegates to the general assembly, which is the organization’s highest governing body, will elect the UNA’s next president/chief executive officer (CEO), a new Corporate Board of Directors, as well as members of the Audit Committee and the Fraternal Advisory Board. The newly-elected Board of Directors will then appoint a secretary/chief operating officer (COO) and a treasurer/chief financial officer (CFO) by a majority vote during its first organizational meeting after the convention.

For the record

European Parliament members respond to statement by Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid

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The following statement was released on September 7 by members of the European Parliament who recently visited Ukraine to express support for Ukraine’s European aspiration. The statement was issued to rebuff remarks made by Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid, who said Ukraine would need to wait 20 years before it could join the European Union.

Ukraine

Ukrainian diplomats in New York hold Independence Day celebration with Crimean Tatar representatives

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NEW YORK – Ukrainian diplomatic missions around the world continued marking the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s renewed independence on August 24.  The celebrations continued even after the final fireworks had been extinguished in Kyiv. One such event took place here, in the city at the crossroads of high diplomacy.

Following on the success of its virtual independence day celebration in August 2020, which was notable in that it featured prominent participants and an extremely reach program, the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations set its sights on an even larger gathering this year.

Editorials

A redesigned website for The Ukrainian Weekly

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Dear readers, we are thrilled to announce that The Ukrainian Weekly will launch a redesigned website on October 6, which marks the 88th anniversary of the newspaper’s founding.

The previous major update to the site was made roughly six years ago. An editorial in the June 14, 2015, issue of The Ukrainian Weekly informed readers that, while the web address remained the same, “the look and functionality [of the new site] are entirely different.”

Turning the pages back...

Sept. 18, 2014

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Seven years ago, on September 18, 2014, President Petro Poroshenko addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress during his working visit to the United States. Mr. Poroshenko noted that the honor of addressing both chambers of Congress was not his, but it belonged “to the people of Ukraine, those brave men and women who are today on the forefront of the global fight for democracy!” he said.

Letters to the Editor

Buyer’s remorse? None here

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Dear Editor:

In his letter to the editor published in the September 5 issue of The Ukrainian Weekly, Lt. Col. Bohdan Hetmansky implies that those who voted for Joe Biden could be questioning their choice. But why? Presi­dent Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent working visit to Washington was solid and successful, returning stability to a relationship abused and neglected by the previous administration. The message from Mr. Biden was clear: America supports Ukraine.

Letters to the Editor

I have no buyer’s remorse

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Dear Editor:

In response to Lt. Col. Bohdan Hetmansky’s letter in the September 5 issue of The Ukrainian Weekly, I am not a citizen of Ukraine, but a citizen of the United States, as are my children and grandchildren. Always, my vote for president is informed not by just U.S. foreign policy, including policies regarding Ukraine, but by the candidate’s domestic agenda.

Letters to the Editor

Emphatically, there’s no buyer’s remorse

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Dear Editor:

In response to Bohdan Hetmansky’s letter, published in the September 5 issue of The Ukrainian Weekly, on whether Ukrainian Americans who voted for President Joe Biden have any “buyer’s remorse,” I can answer emphatically that I do not. Like almost all Ukrainian Americans, regardless of political leanings, I am not happy that this administration has backed off from stopping Nord Stream 2 (see Mark Temnycky’s article in the same issue). At the same time, I recognize the difficulty in pulling the plug on a multi-billion-dollar project that was more than 90 percent complete when Mr. Biden was sworn in last January.

Community Chronicle

Hundreds celebrate Ukraine’s 30th anniversary of renewed independence at Metropolia Center of the UOC-U.S.A.

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SOUTH BOUND BROOK, N.J. – Hundreds gathered at the Metropolia Center of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. (UOC-U.S.A.) on August 29 for a celebration in honor of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s renewed independence.

The faithful arrived, many sporting Ukrainian attire, for a hierarchical divine liturgy that was celebrated by Archbishop Daniel, ruling hierarch of the Western Eparchy of the UOC-U.S.A. He earnestly prayed for the abatement of the COVID-19 virus, the recovery of all who have fallen ill and the peaceful repose of those who have succumbed to the illness.

Community Chronicle

Happy children attend 2021 Heritage Day Camp at Soyuzivka

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KERHONKSON, N.Y. – A special treat for each child attending the 2021 Heritage Day Camp (HDC) at Soyuzivka Heritage Center was having his or her own personal “consultation” with a Ukrainian folk-magic shaman: a so-called “molfar.” This summer’s theme was the Karpaty (the Carpathian Mountains) and its many colorful peoples, including Hutsuls, Lemkos and Boikos.