The high-level delegation from the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) was in Ukraine for a working visit from July 14 to 18, 2023, where it met with Vice Prime Minister for Reconstruction of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov, Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov, Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Kyrylo Budanov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov, Commander of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces Maj. Gen. Ihor Tantsyura, Minister of Energy German Galushchenko, Minister of Health Viktor Liashko, Minister of Social Policy Oksana Zholnovych, Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko, and many others.
The working visit began in Lviv, where the UWC delegation met with the city’s Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, the Head of the Lviv Oblast Military Administration, Maksym Kozytskyi, and the Chief of the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Military Academy, Lieutenant General Pavlo Tkachuk.
In the studios of the “Espreso” TV channel, UWC President Paul Grod was interviewed by journalists Vitaliy Portnikov and Mykola Veresen about the global Ukrainian community’s work towards Ukraine’s NATO membership. Watch the video here.
During their meeting with the Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Kyrylo Budanov, UWC leaders discussed how the global organization’s Unite With Ukraine initiative can support Ukraine’s frontline defenders and intelligence officers.
“Our meeting was optimistic. It reflected Ukraine’s military forces high morale, and reinforced our confidence in Ukraine’s victory over Russia, the greatest threat to freedom and democracy in the world,” summarized Andriy Futey, UWC’s Vice President, and President of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA).
UWC’s President Paul Grod, Vice Presidents Stefan Romaniw and Andriy Futey, and the Director of the Unite With Ukraine initiative Andrew Potichnyi also met with the Commander of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Maj. Gen. Ihor Tantsyura.
At that meeting, the UWC delegation announced its next package of assistance for the needs of the Ukrainian military in the amount of UAH 117 million (over $3 million), including armored vehicles for evacuation and safe movement of personnel in combat zones, FPV drones, new Strata 22 weapon simulators for soldier training, and the repair and restoration of GAZ-66 all-road military trucks.
“The assistance you have provided to the units of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is invaluable in our campaign to repel the Russian Federation’s armed aggression. The high-quality military aid provided by the Ukrainian World Congress worth hundreds of millions of hryvnia is proof of the genuine partnership and cooperation between our organizations. The Armed Forces of Ukraine appreciate the partnership of the global Ukrainian diaspora at a time when it is most needed to defend our country,” stated Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine General Valerii Zaluzhnyi in a letter to UWC.
During the working visit, UWC signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, and announced a new shipment of aid.
The UWC will continue working with the Ministry of Energy within the framework of the Energize Ukraine project that supports the restoration of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. UWC President Paul Grod and Minister of Energy of Ukraine German Galushchenko discussed combining efforts to source the energy equipment that Ukraine needs to replace the infrastructure damaged in the war.
In what has now become a fine tradition, the UWC delegation was honored to meet with His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphanius, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine. Their discussions focused on the spiritual care of internally-displaced persons, the preservation of Ukrainian identity in Europe and the world, and the OCU’s transition to the modern church calendar.
Summarizing the working visit, UWC’s First Vice President Stefan Romaniw said: “We drew many conclusions regarding Ukraine’s needs, plans and aspirations, and about how we can best combine our capabilities, resources and strengths.”
