Month: June 18, 2021 12:15 am

RANDOLPH, N.J. – The Ukrainian National Women’s League of America (UNWLA) held its 32nd national convention virtually on June 5. Delegates to the convention elected Natalia Pawlenko as the organization’s new president.

GENEVA – The presidents of the United States and Russia were met in Geneva on June 16 by a rally calling for an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine. Organized by the Ukrainian Society of Switzerland, the demonstration was part of a global campaign by the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) aimed at raising awareness of Russia’s ongoing military and economic aggression against Ukraine. Activists held signs that read “Crimea is Ukraine” and others held a sign that included the hashtag #StopRussianAggression.

On June 16, U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin held their first summit in Geneva. It came five months into Mr. Biden’s term and 21 years after Mr. Putin was first elected president. Most reports from the summit saw only modest outcomes, as the two presidents discussed nuclear arms and diplomatic relations between the two historic adversaries.

Thirty years ago, on June 23, 1991, thousands of protesters, who were undaunted by thundershowers, marched down Kyiv’s main thoroughfare, the Khreshchatyk, to protest Ukraine’s intent to sign the union treaty with Moscow that summer.

Ukraine’s struggle to finally separate from Russia continues even as multiple other events and issues compete for the world’s attention. This is understandable but worrisome for Ukraine as it works to maintain international support for this effort. We, the Ukrainian diaspora, search for ways to contribute to Ukraine’s fight for security.

The takeaway for Ukraine is that the Biden-Putin summit in Geneva apparently did take place. There were two press conferences, one by each of the principals to prove that. Apparently, the only tangible result was the renewed exchange of ambassadors. For the American cynic this was a far cry from Helsinki and thus a major victory for the American side. But success cannot be measured by Trump years.

The following column discusses the work of the Helsinki Commission beginning in the late 1980s, as the Soviet empire began to unravel, to the present day. Part 1 of this two-part series, which ran in the May 30 issue of The Ukrainian Weekly, discussed the work of the Helsinki Commission from its founding up to the late 1980s.

MORRISTOWN, N.J. – A wide circle of members and friends of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America (UNWLA) Branch…...

HARTFORD, Conn. – On the eve of U.S. President Joe Biden’s historic NATO summit, Ukrainian American veterans, community leaders and activists from 12 towns across Connecticut came to the Ukrainian National Home in Hartford on June 14 for an early morning meeting with U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).

Zelenskyy wants clarity on NATO path
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on June 15 he wants a clear yes or no from U.S. President Joe Biden on giving Ukraine a plan to join the NATO military alliance. In a joint interview with Reuters, the Associated Press and Agence France-Press, Mr. Zelenskyy said he received assurances that Mr. Biden would not use Ukraine as a bargaining tool in his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn. – From the first 70 minutes of action, the Netherlands out-shot, out-hustled and out-played Ukraine. Ahead 2-0 in its opening Group C match of UEFA’s Euro 2020 Championship on June 13, the home team in Amsterdam was cruising toward a one-sided victory over Ukraine, who hadn’t scored a goal in Euro soccer action since 2012. The Dutch team’s total control then abruptly switched to collapse when the underdog Ukrainians tallied two quick goals to even the match at 2-2. A game that seemed comfortably sealed away required some wild saving at the end, and the Netherlands’ eventual 3-2 win left its fans more concerned than triumphant.

Yakiv Khammo (+100 kg) won bronze at the World Judo Championships on June 6-12 in Budapest, Hungary. In the third-place match, Khammo won against Gela Zaalishvili of Georgia, and in the lead-up match Khammo won against Martti Puumalainen of Finland. Ukraine was represented by 13 athletes – nine males and four females. Anastasiia Turchyn, who qualified after she finished in fifth place at the tournament, will join Khammo in representing Ukraine at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.