UWC delegation visits Ukraine as it marks 35 years of independence

A delegation from the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC), led by President Paul Grod, has begun an official visit to Ukraine marking the 35th anniversary of the restoration of Ukraine’s independence.

This year’s visit is accompanied by an urgent UWC appeal to the international community to immediately provide Ukraine with additional air defense systems and weapons to protect its people from Russia’s ongoing aerial terror.

The delegation includes Nataliya Poshyvaylo-Towler, UWC Vice President for South and Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Türkiye and Lebanon; Andriy Futey, UWC Vice President; Jorge Danylyszyn, UWC Vice President for South and Central America; Alexandra Chyczij, President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress; George Huculak, UWC Vice President for Development and Fundraising.

Also participating are Zenon Kowal, Member of the UWC Executive Committee; Michael Sawkiw, President of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America; Christian Borys, Founder of Saint Javelin; Andrew Potichnyj, Director of the Unite with Ukraine; Andriy Shevchenko, UWC Special Advisor; Councillor Natalia Lishchyna, Deputy Chair of the UWC Audit Committee; Alex Greceniuc, UWC Board Member; and Lyuba Lyubchyk, Chair of the UWC IECC.

The visit began with a meeting with the leadership of the National Guard of Ukraine to discuss cooperation, support for Ukrainian defenders, and engagement with the global Ukrainian community.

Representing the National Guard of Ukraine were Oleksandr Pivnenko, Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine; Colonel Volodymyr Hrabchak, Director of the Personnel Department; and Colonel Illia Demidov, Acting Deputy Director of the Personnel Department and Head of the International Cooperation Directorate.

Discussions focused on the work and current needs of the National Guard, strengthening international cooperation, and ways Ukrainian diaspora organizations and partners can continue supporting Ukraine during the war. The UWC delegation reaffirmed the global Ukrainian community’s commitment to Ukraine and its defense institutions.

“The Lord is creating the conditions for the war to end. Perhaps not in the way we see or understand it, but what matters most is that a just peace is established,” said Epiphanius, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, during a meeting with the delegation of the UWC.

UWC President Paul Grod emphasized the important role of the Ukrainian diaspora in supporting Ukraine: “Our important role is to continuously advocate for Ukraine, to tell the world what is happening in Ukraine and why it matters.”

The meeting focused on the reconstruction of war-damaged facilities and assistance to Ukrainians affected by the war, access to Ukrainian Orthodox communities around the world, the spread of Russian religious propaganda, particularly in Germany, and coordination between the Church and the Ukrainian diaspora in countering Russia’s hybrid warfare.

The UWC President thanked Metropolitan Epiphanius and Metropolitan Yevstratiy Zoria for their service and support for Ukraine.

Paul Grod also presented Metropolitan Epiphanius with a symbolic hryvnia coin cast from artillery shell casings, and Metropolitan Yevstratiy Zoria with a commemorative UWC coin.

During a meeting with His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the delegation discussed the future of the Ukrainian community and Church amid new waves of migration reaching new countries in Europe and around the world.

Particular attention was paid to the challenges facing Ukraine, the importance of working with young people, and preserving the internal unity of Ukrainian society, which is one of the key challenges for the country’s continued existence.

“Social unity today is not simply a wish or a holiday slogan. In wartime, it becomes one of the main prerequisites for preserving the Ukrainian state and the Ukrainian people themselves,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav said.

The UWC President expressed his gratitude for supporting Ukrainians around the world and for participating in the reburial of Yevhen Konovalets, as well as for advocacy efforts, and emphasized that UWC is doing everything it can to promote unity.

The UWC delegation also met with defenders from the Rubizh Brigade, where they discussed Ukraine’s defense and cooperation with the global Ukrainian community through UWC’s Unite with Ukraine initiative.

The meeting focused on the challenges Ukrainian defenders are preparing for this winter, as well as the brigade’s international cooperation and opportunities to engage professional military personnel from abroad. The brigade currently works with military personnel and specialists from 22 countries around the world.