UWC President: How multiple citizenship will benefit Ukraine

Multiple citizenship will encourage the global Ukrainian community to assist Ukraine in post-war recovery and reconstruction, stated the President of the Ukrainian World Congress, Paul Grod, in an interview with the Voice of America.

“Ukraine needs the minds and hands of the Ukrainian diaspora abroad to overcome and rebuild the country, ensuring their full participation in Ukraine’s political, economic, and social life,” says Grod.

Ukraine and its territory are the most unifying factors for Ukrainians worldwide, added the UWC President in a conversation with Radio Liberty.

“When we feel like strangers in our own country, without the right to citizenship, it distinguishes Ukrainians living abroad from those living in Ukraine. Today, the world has become significantly more global, and we see how many Ukrainians now reside beyond Ukraine’s borders—creating all the conditions for us to work and feel like one Ukrainian nation is crucial. Citizenship is one of the important keys to this,” said Grod.

Ukraine will need all possible human resources to win the Russian war against Ukraine and to rebuild Ukraine, added the UWC President.

“And for this, we will need to leverage the skills and intellectual capital of Ukrainians abroad, who have knowledge and love for Ukraine. Because it’s one thing to hire an international expert, but if that international expert also has Ukrainian roots or is Ukrainian, then that person will work more effectively in the reconstruction of Ukraine,” emphasized Grod.