Unprecedented public support accompanied the NATO summit in Vilnius. In response to the call of the Ukrainian World Congress, Ukrainian diaspora representatives from several countries took to the streets to support Ukraine on its way to the Alliance.
In Canada, several dozen activists held Ukraine in NATO now rally in Halifax. Participants came out to one of the city’s squares with Ukrainian flags. At the same time, youth in Acton also decided to call for support for Ukraine’s membership in NATO.
“Students conducted an educational campaign, … met with a member of the city government and the media, where they presented Ukraine’s desire to become a member of NATO,” the Ukrainian Youth Association reported.
During the rallies, Ukrainians in the United Kingdom emphasized that world security is possible only with Ukraine in NATO. “Only NATO membership can protect Ukraine from a terrorist neighbor,” those present said.
The community of Ukrainians in Ireland also joined the international campaign dedicated to the Vilnius NATO summit. “Membership of Ukraine in NATO is the only reliable guarantee of security that Ukraine can trust, the most effective way to prevent possible wars in Europe, strengthening the security of the entire continent of Eurasia. NATO needs a strong and prepared Ukrainian army in its composition,” Vira Savka, a rally participant, stated.
The community of Ukrainians in Rome protested against Russian aggression in Ukraine. “Not far from the Coliseum, on the street of the Imperial Forums, for two hours we talked about Ukraine in different languages! Sunday’s rally was devoted to two main topics: the Vilnius NATO summit, within the framework of the Ukrainian World Congress’s international advocacy actions for Ukraine, and the provocations of the Russian Nazis at the Zaporizhzhia NPP,” Oles Horodetskyy, the president of the Christian Association of Ukrainians, and the leader of the Ukrainian community in Rome, wrote.
Ukrainians in Denmark decided to use a peaceful march to call on NATO to invite Ukraine to the Alliance. Activists took to the streets of Copenhagen to declare: “Ukraine and NATO are stronger together.”
“Terrorism has Russian citizenship,” representatives of the Ukrainian community in Norway said during the rally. During the action in Oslo, the diaspora urged to invite Ukraine to NATO.
Helsinki was also included. Ukrainians held a peaceful rally to call on the Finnish public to support Ukraine’s membership in NATO.
The Ukrainian community in Portugal held rallies in three cities at once – Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra. The Ukrainians declared: “Ukraine’s accession to NATO will mean the defeat of Putin’s regime.”
“We do not believe that anything can change in the minds of most Russians in the coming years. Putin understands only power diplomacy. He thinks like a bandit, like a terrorist. When he is shown resistance, a united force, he will retreat. … The main thing is for Europe to become one force against the new fascism,” participants believe.
In the center of Tallinn, there was also an event in support of Ukraine’s accession to NATO. “Ukraine has the right and every reason to become a full-fledged member of the Alliance,” Vira Konyk, the chairman of the Congress of Ukrainians of Estonia, and professor of international law Evhen Tsybulenko, unanimously said in their speeches. Diplomats of the Embassy of Ukraine in Estonia were present at the rally.
Ukrainians in Germany supported Ukraine with a peaceful rally in Augsburg. “We, in turn, must continue to do everything that depends on us (and a lot depends on us) so that Ukraine integrates into all European institutions as quickly as possible,” the diaspora said. The action also took place in Hamburg.
On the eve of the summit, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and the European Congress of Ukrainians also addressed a letter to NATO.
In his address, Paul Grod, President of the Ukrainian World Congress, called on the Alliance to start the formal process of Ukraine joining NATO.
The Ukrainian World Congress expresses its gratitude to Ukrainian communities for participating in the international campaign to support Ukraine’s path to the North Atlantic Alliance.
