UWC leadership alongside President Zelenskyy at Washington, D.C., events

The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) delegation participated in key events alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The delegation included UWC President Paul Grod; Andriy Futey, UWC Vice President and President of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA); Marta Farion, UWC Vice President for North America and Vice President of the UCCA; and Michael Sawkiw, Jr., Executive Vice President of the UCCA and Director of the Ukrainian National Information Service (UNIS) in Washington, D.C.

Since the start of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Olena Zelenska’s visit to Washington, D.C., they have been accompanied by the delegation from the Ukrainian World Congress, led by President Paul Grod. Their visit began with a solemn trip to a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Holodomor of 1932-1933. 

The visit continued with a historic speech by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. The Ukrainian World Congress delegation was honored to participate in this event. Zelenskyy’s address was also heard during the visit of world leaders to the 75th NATO Summit.

The President of the Ukrainian World Congress met with the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk, at the War, Democracy and Parliament: Ukraine 2024 briefing at the Ukrainian House in Washington, D.C.

During his visit, Paul Grod also participated in a meeting organized by the Joint Baltic American National Committee, where high-ranking officials from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania discussed the necessity of Ukraine’s NATO membership amid new threats.

In a brief meeting with Lauri Hussar, the Speaker of the Estonian Parliament, Paul Grod expressed gratitude for Estonia’s robust support of Ukraine. He also conveyed thanks to President Alar Karis for his recent statement asserting that Ukraine’s NATO membership should not be negotiated with Russia ahead of the Summit in Washington, D.C.

During a discussion with Szymon Hołownia, the Speaker of the Polish Sejm, the President of the Ukrainian World Congress addressed security concerns and expressed gratitude for Poland providing shelter to millions of Ukrainians.

In a meeting with US Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, a strong ally of Ukraine, Paul Grod discussed increasing military support from the United States for Ukraine. Specifically, Grod echoed President Zelenskyy’s appeal to the American government, urging the removal of all restrictions on Ukrainian strikes against Russian territory.

The President of the Ukrainian World Congress attended the “War Diaries: The Unheard Voices of Ukrainian Children” exhibition, hosted by the Razom Advocacy team and the R.T. Weatherman Foundation. During his visit, he met with Andrew Duncan, co-founder of the R.T. Weatherman Foundation, and Congressman French Hill from Arkansas. He expressed gratitude to Congressman Hill for the REPO Act, a law on freezing and confiscating Russian assets. The meeting highlighted the urgent necessity to bolster efforts to safeguard Ukrainian children from Russian aggression.

Together with the Ukrainian community in the USA, the UWC President participated in a rally co-organized by the UWC. The urgent rally took place after a Russian attack on Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital, Okhmatdyt. Attendees urged the global community to invite Ukraine to join the Alliance.

Additionally, the President of the Ukrainian World Congress spoke with the media and gave an interview to Voice of America. The conversation centered on how the UWC is continuing Stefan Romaniw’s mission to secure recognition of the Holodomor as a genocide against the Ukrainian people.