U.S.-Ukraine Foundation

12/06/2022

Thank you, all defenders of Ukraine for your vigor and sacrifices in defending your nation’s sovereignty as well as Western values of democracy for the whole world!

12/05/2022

Today we celebrate International Volunteer Day (IVD). The theme is solidarity through volunteering, highlighting the power of our collective humanity to drive positive change through volunteerism.

We at the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation are extremely grateful for the volunteers who have made our work possible over 30+ years. We also honor and thank all the volunteers inside Ukraine and around the world who are helping the people of Ukraine defend their freedom. From citizens of Ukraine volunteering in the Armed Forces to our partners on the ground volunteering to provide critical humanitarian aid and rebuild infrastructure, charitable individuals who give their time, money, and resources continue to inspire us and are leading the way toward a better future.

11/28/2022

On December 1, we will honor Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), and director Evgeny Afineevsky for their exceptional support of Ukraine.

We hope that you will join us in doing so during the Ukraine in Washington & Beyond 2022 symposium and award luncheon at the National Press Club OR via live stream.

Reserve your ticket now! https://give.usukraine.org/ukraine-in-washington-and-beyond

11/23/2022

Photos from ГС "Спілка ветеранів"'s post

11/18/2022

Photos from ГС "Спілка ветеранів"'s post

11/16/2022

Our project would not be possible without the support of the 𝗨.𝗦.–𝗨𝗸𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 and its 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗨𝗸𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 initiative.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨.𝗦.–𝗨𝗸𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗨𝗦𝗨𝗙), is a D.C.- based nonprofit organization that has been working on the ground in Ukraine since 1991. USUF’s main focus is strengthening the strategic partnership between the U.S. and Ukraine, supporting the development of democracy, free market economy, human rights in Ukraine and creating opportunities for its development.

𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗨𝗸𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 is the U.S.–Ukraine Foundation’s initiative aimed at supporting the advancement of biotechnology in Ukraine by encouraging innovative approaches by students, researchers, entrepreneurs, and small- and medium-sized businesses. The project, made possible through generous financial support of donors, seeks to expand educational and economic opportunities for the people of Ukraine, equipping them with the tools, training, and connections they need to be on the cutting edge of meaningful discovery. We believe in unleashing the potential of scientists in Ukraine to empower them in fighting global diseases, feeding the world’s growing population, and protecting our planet.

You can find more information at the USUF website usukraine.org or on Facebook U.S.-Ukraine Foundation, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube accounts.

11/14/2022

11/14/2022

11/12/2022

Yesterday, we celebrated the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberating the city of Kherson after 8 months of occupation. As the people of Ukraine relentlessly defend freedom and democracy in their country and the world, there is no more important time to ensure that Ukraine has the means to win this war than now.

We invite you to join us on November 30 and December 1 at the National Press Club for the 2022 Ukraine in Washington & Beyond series, co-hosted by the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation and the Embassy of Ukraine in the USA / Посольство України в США. The event will feature top security and economic experts discussing, among other topics, post-midterm congressional support for Ukraine and recommendations for security assistance to Ukraine.

Follow the link 🔗 below in a first comment 👇

11/11/2022

Welcome home, Kherson 💙💛, з поверненням, рідненький!

Today, Ukrainian troops entered the city center of Kherson, which has been under russian occupation since March 2, 2022. We are proud of and inspired by the bravery of the people of Ukraine defending their liberty.

The watermelon is a symbol of the city of Kherson and the whole Kherson region of Ukraine--similar to how peaches are associated with Georgia and oranges with Florida. Now, their watermelons will taste sweeter than ever before!

11/09/2022

Yesterday, U.S.-Ukraine Foundation President Nadia K. McConnell sat down with journalist Aiste Čiučiurkaitė for an interview for 15min, one of the largest news websites in Lithuania. They discussed the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation’s work; the current humanitarian needs in Ukraine and what can be done to help; and recovery & reconstruction in Ukraine. Stay tuned for the published interview!

11/06/2022

KHERSON COMMUNITY LEADER: WHEN RUSSIAN OCCUPATION IS OVER, OUR REGION WILL BE THE MOST PATRIOTIC IN UKRAINE

The U.S.-Ukraine Foundation hosted a discussion with a very special guest: Andriy Putilov, a community leader from Kherson. Putilov helped organize citizen’s resistance in the early weeks of the Russian occupation, until he got arrested by the Russians. For more than 70 days, he was imprisoned, interrogated, threatened and tortured. The captors blamed him for masterminding the disruption of water supply to the Crimea in 2014 when a group of Ukrainian patriots shut off the canal that was nourished from the Dnipro. Among other things they held against him was his photo with Nadia McConnell taken in Washington some years earlier - Russian “security experts” identified the President of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation as a “major foreign enemy”.

Eventually, Putilov regained his freedom through a prisoner swap, together with another outstanding leader of the civic movement, Yulia Paievska (aka Taira).

Putilov is a native of Kherson, and he maintains that his region has always had a strong Ukrainian identity, even though regional political bosses sided with Yanukovych. For many years, he worked to strengthen local political alternatives to the Yanukovych party - in the city council, in the oblast legislature, and in the elections to the national parliament. In 2012, he became the only member of the Rada from Kherson to win a district race against a Yanukovych party candidate.

But politics was not Putilov’s first calling. Educated as an economist and a business manager, he rose to be a local industry leader heading a private metallurgical plant. In 2015, he served as the province governor - appointed by President Poroshenko. But he resigned and returned to the private sector after only a year in that job: he says that he resented lip service and under-the-carpet intrigues of government bureaucracy. A sense of responsibility for his business venture and the people who worked for him made it hard for him to flee to safety when the war started.

Now he helps to develop a support hub for displaced people from Kherson in Ivano-Frankivsk. The name of that hub is “Kherson Unconquered''; it provides temporary housing, legal aid, and help in searching for jobs. He says that displaced citizens care about their dignity, and are not willing to beg for charity. Rather, they look for opportunities to work and earn an income.

While in the US, Putilov met with Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf to discuss regional collaboration projects between Pennsylvania and Kherson oblast. Putilov emphasized the symbolism of that step: it sends a message that Kherson is still Ukrainian, and will never be Russian. Putilov predicts that the regions now occupied by Russia will show the highest levels of patriotism after the liberation, surpassing the rest of Ukraine.

Andriy Putilov carries several different cell phones for communication. One of them is for linking with his contacts in the occupied territory. In his opinion, Russians may have massacred even more civilians in Kherson than in places like Bucha in the north. According to his contacts, local fishermen these days often find dead bodies in their fishing nets - which means that occupiers might not even dig mass graves to conceal their crimes.

11/04/2022

Interview with Stanislav Aseyev

Last week, Dr. Anna Brodsky interviewed Stanislav Aseyev about his 962 days illegally imprisoned in the infamous IZOLYATSIA prison in Donetsk, his new book In Isolation: Dispatches from Occupied Donbas, and his recent work with the Justice Initiative Fund.
Nadia McConnell, president of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation, also presented Stanislav with his “Star of Ukraine 2021” award. Stanislav Aseyev was one of 30 “Stars of Ukraine” that the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation honored last year for their efforts in promoting Ukraine on the world stage over the past 30 years.
Watch the full recording here:

About Stanislav Aseyev:
Ukrainian novelist and journalist Stanislav Aseyev was born in Donetsk, Ukraine in 1989 and has spent most of his life there. After Russia-backed terrorists occupied the city in 2014, he stayed in Donetsk to report on the developments in the region under pen name Stanislav Vasin.
In June 2017, Aseyev was kidnapped by separatist militants and imprisoned for 962 days for "extremism" and "spying." Aseyev spent a considerable part of his illegal sentence in the infamous Donetsk prison IZOLYATSIA, a factory building that was converted by militants to a secret prison and military base, where he was subjected to mistreatment and intermittent torture for over two and a half years.
Aseyev was freed in 2019 as part of a bilateral prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia. For his journalistic work in the conflict zone and coverage of war crimes, Stanislav Aseyev was awarded the Norwegian Free Media Awards 2020, as well as the National Prize for the Defense of Freedom of Expression in Ukraine 2020 and Shevchenko National Prize 2021.
Today, Aseyev continues to write, and Harvard just published his most recent book In Isolation: Dispatches from Occupied Donbas. He also recently founded the Justice Initiative Fund, which gathers information about Russian war crimes to ensure the identified perpetrators face justice.

About Dr. Anna Brodsky:
Dr. Anna Brodsky is a professor of Russian and the head of the Eastern European and Russian Studies department at Washington and Lee University. She has worked as a journalist for the past 15 years. Originally from Moscow, she received a Ph.D. in Slavic Studies, Russian Literature from Yale University.

Dr. Brodsky has reported extensively on the Russian wars in Chechnya and Ukraine, visiting the front lines of the Donbas war in 2015 and working with Chechen refugees in Europe. She was a regular contributor to two Russian newspapers, Nezavisimaya and Novaya Gazeta. Dr. Brodsky is currently a regular contributor to the Ukrainian newspaper Dzerkalo Tyzhnia as well as a frequent guest on UATV.

11/01/2022

We invite you to join us on November 30 and December 1 for our Ukraine in Washington and Beyond 2022 series!

The event will include three components:
I. Nov 30: Washington, D.C. premiere of Oscar-nominated director Evgeny Afineevesky's newest film "Freedom on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom"
II. Dec 1: Symposium featuring top names and experts such as Ann Compton, Ambassador John Herbst, and Ambassador Kurt Volker
III. Dec 1: Award luncheon during the symposium honoring exceptional support of the people of Ukraine, with honorees including Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), and director Evgeny Afineevsky.

Register now for early bird pricing! https://give.usukraine.org/ukraine-in-washington-and-beyond

10/31/2022

STANISLAV ASEYEV: EVIL MUST HAVE A NAME

We met with Stanislav Aseyev while he was in Washington, and we used that opportunity to present to him our "Star of Ukraine" Award that he earned in 2021. This fearless journalist and celebrated writer spoke to us about a new civic initiative that is gaining interational attention: the Justice Initiative Fund. It gathers information about Russian war crimes to make sure that identified perpetrators face justice and their crimes are not left unpunished.

You can learn more about the JIF initiative here: https://jif.fund/en

10/28/2022

Members of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation's FRIENDS OF UKRAINE NETWORK - prominent voices in the policymaking community - commented on Russia's terrorist air strikes against civilian infrastructure objects in Ukraine.

Ambassador WILLIAM B. TAYLOR: Putin’s attacks are an attempt to terrorize Ukrainians. They are war crimes. The Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian government are not intimidated. The West, led by the United States, should support the Ukrainians with all the means they need to defeat Russia and drive Russian forces entirely out of their country.

Senior Fellow IAN BRZEZINSKI: The latest round of Russian missile attacks against Ukraine’s civilian populations are not only atrocities, they reflect Putin’s increasing desperation and irrationality in the face of steadfast Ukrainian courage and tenacity.

In these photos shared by Ukraine's Emergency Service you can see the heroic action of Kyiv firefighters.

10/27/2022

Stanislav Aseyev Interview and Book Signing

Don't miss it! On Friday, October 28 we will be hosting an interview & book signing with Ukrainian novelist and journalist Stanislav Aseyev.

Dr. Anna Brodsky will interview Aseyev about his 962 days illegally detained and tortured in the infamous IZOLYATSIA prison in Donetsk, his new book "In Isolation: Dispatches from Occupied Donbas", and work with the Justice Initiative Fund.

The event will be co-hosted by and held at The Jamestown Foundation: 1310 L St NW, Washington, D.C. 20005.

Register here:

The U.S.-Ukraine Foundation and the Jamestown Foundation are pleased to host an interview and book signing with Stanislav Aseyev.

10/09/2022

EUROPEANS MOCK AT PUTIN'S PROCLAIMED ANNEXATION OF UKRAINE'S REGIONS
When announcing his phony annexation of Ukraine's regions, the Russian dictator expected the world to be stricken with awe. But what he gets in response is ridicule and mockery in a flood of memes that go viral. Many of them are about Putin's prize possession of Kaliningrad that allegedly got annexed by Czechia after a referendum in which "97.9% of Kaliningrad residents decided to join the Czech Republic and rename Kaliningrad to Královec." We collected a few of those memes - including the one that calls Czech citizens to serve in the country's Navy - now that it has a naval base...
It should be noted that Královec - the Czech for Königsberg (the well-known name of that city before 1945) - was founded by King Přemysl Otakar II of Bohemia in 1255. That is a much older history that what Putin quotes in his claims for a part of Ukraine. In the same fashion, a Lithuanian MP famously tweeted not so long ago: If Russia revokes her 1991 recognition of Lithuania's independence, Lithuania will revoke the 1634 Treaty of Polyanovka and demand that Putin submits to the authority of Władysław IV and returns all occupied territories to the Grand Duchy. Smolensk is Lithuania!

Moreover, Russia's possession of what they call Kaliningrad is not properly codified. The Potsdam conference of 1945 decided that the USSR would have provisional control over "the city of Königsberg and the adjacent region" without outlying it in more detail. The issue remained suspended after Germany became divided into East and West. Finally, the Potsdam agreement itself expired in 1995. Due to this legal void, public figures in Poland now claim that "Kaliningrad" is unlawfully occupied by Russia and has to be demilitarized...

10/07/2022

A great concert at the Kennedy Center on October 18 to support United24, the initiative of the President of Ukraine (https://u24.gov.ua/). Buy tickets at https://benefitconcertukraine.org/ to support

10/06/2022

SUNFLOWERS IN KANSAS YIELD RELIEF FOR UKRAINIANS HURT BY WAR

A donation of $10K has been sent to us by Global Ties of Kansas City for the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation's Kyiv Rotary Club Refugee Initiative. That initiative has been part of more than $300,000 distributed by USUF in grants to grassroot organizations in Ukraine that provide shelter for people displaced by the war. It became an important component of the Foundation's overall delivery of more than $11 million of direct humanitarian aid (medical supplies, life-saving equipment and cash grants) to aid the people of Ukraine during the past seven months.

How was this particular money raised? Local artists in Kansas made paintings of sunflowers (the sunflower happens to be the official flower of Kansas) and put them in a gallery exhibition for a month, culminated by a charity auction. That creative project was led by the artist Holly Ann Schenk, and supported by Global Ties KC, together with the Prairie Village Arts Council and Johnson County, KS. You can view a description of the project and its catalog here:
https://event.auctria.com/c597b4c6-fd41-4573-9eab-c4004a3b3efe/

10/02/2022

UKRAINE HAS A FUTURE. AND THE WEST HAS A CRUCIAL ROLE TO PLAY IN WHAT THAT FUTURE LOOKS LIKE.
Key takeaways from the article by James Jay Carafano, an expert in international policy and development, about the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine:

Even before the last volley is fired in the war, the race to shape the postwar order will be on. Ukraine will have to build a Ukraine that can defend itself, secure its liberty, and bring posterity to its people. It would be folly to believe this can happen without Western help. It is also folly to believe that money is all it will take. Local contractors, not multinationals, need to be empowered. Communities need a say in their own rebuilding. Effective microfinancing is crucial.

We need to get beyond the ideological and political ways of looking at aid and envision a clear strategy. We don’t need another Marshall Plan. What we will need is a plan as good as the Marshall Plan.

You can read this article in full here:
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/winning-the-peace-in-ukraine

09/30/2022

REJECT AND REVERSE RUSSIA'S NEOCOLONIAL GLUTTONY!

Ukrainian Catholic bishops of the US issued a statement in response to the attempted Russian annexation of four regions of Ukraine:
"Before the eyes of the world, after a farcical series of pseudo referendums, Russian President Putin, violating all principles of international law, announced the annexation of four regions of Ukraine. Each of these regions is approximately the size of Massachusetts, and together they form 15% of Ukrainian territory that, before 2014, was home to 8.5 million Ukrainians.
[...]
It is incumbent on the free world to help the valiant Ukrainians who show inspiring courage to reject and reverse these heinous acts of state terrorism and neo-colonial gluttony."
You can read the full text of this wise and eloquent message here: https://ukrarcheparchy.us/appeals/statement-of-the-ukrainian-catholic-bishops-of-the-us-in-response-to-the-attempted-russian-annexation-of-four-regions-of-ukraine

09/28/2022

Join us for this live discussion on Monday October 3. Register here to attend: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Auy0PiMvTWqVIpkPQJh4-A

09/28/2022

Russian Patriarch Kirill Says Dying In Ukraine 'Washes Away All Sins'

The press is paying significant attention to Putin’s efforts to restock his military with fully diverse “recruits”, and the public reactions of protests, escapes from Russia and more. He is having a tough time maintaining the size of his military so it can “liberate” the people of Ukraine.

However, we should also be aware of the demonic assistance Putin is getting from former KGB agent and current Russian Patriarch Kirill. Clearly vestments and a title do not a Christian make.

Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has told his followers that "sacrifice in the course of carrying out your military duty washes away all sins."

09/28/2022

09/22/2022

Під час виступу на засіданні Генеральної Асамблеї ООН Володимир Зеленський представив українську формулу миру

Volodymyr Zelensky calls on the nations of the world to punish Russia's government for the war against Ukraine.

Watch his powerful address to the UN General Assembly on September 21:

09/19/2022

LEGENDARY TAIRA VISITS US AT WASHINGTON FESTIVAL

The U.S.-Ukraine Foundation's booth at the Washington Ukrainian Festival was a success! We reached out to thousands, and met with outstanding guests. One of them was the legendary Yulia Paievska, better known as Taira - the community organizer and paramedic who rescued thousands of lives during the war and then spent months in Russian captivity. She came to Washington a few days ago to testify for the U.S. Helsinki Commission. We were honored to talk with her and the Ambassador of Ukraine Oksana Markarova as they visited our festival booth.

Our booth at the festival made sales of donated collectible items with proceeds to benefit the people of Ukraine.

09/16/2022

Five FOUN members featured in the 2022 Tbilisi International Conference "Slava Ukraini" – U.S.-Ukraine Foundation

“The United States has a role to play and we should step up more and think long term, not just think about gasoline prices for the summer or this fall. In order to do this politically, we need to explain to our people what’s at stake.” -Ed Chow, FOUN member and senior associate, Energy and Climate Change Program at CSIS.

Last week, five members of USUF's Friends of Ukraine Network (FOUN) were featured panelists at the 2022 Tbilisi International Conference "Slava Ukraini". You can read a summary of the conference and FOUN member comments here: https://usukraine.org/blog/five-foun-members-featured-in-tbilisi-international-conference

Or, watch a recording of the panel discussion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWPhZpDVuUk

Last week, several members of USUF’s Friends of Ukraine Network (FOUN) spoke at the 2022 Tbilisi International Conference held on September 5-6 in the capital city of Georgia. The major theme of this year’s conference was Slava Ukraini, and 13 sessions held over the course of two days featured h...

09/16/2022

Ukrainian Forces Find Bodies, Torture Stories In Liberated Town

Where ever russia comes, it brings pain, death and suffering. It's a terrorist state! https://fb.watch/fzCOehgQay/

09/13/2022

Tuesday Talks: The View from Ukraine | "LIVE"

Don't miss Tuesday Talks: The View from Ukraine LIVE at 6pm EST today!

Global Ties Miami, Global Ties Akron, Gulf Coast Diplomacy, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of South Florida, World Affairs Council of Miami, and World Oregon are hosting a virtual format featuring two people—one American, one Ukrainian—who have been working together to bring non-lethal aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24. Tune in to hear their story and gain an inside look into the situation in Ukraine.

Register here:

Join us for an inside look into the Ukraine Crisis. Gain an understanding of what's going on, and the impact on ordinary people.