UWC President Paul Grod arrives at Munich Security Conference

Paul Grod, President of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC), commenced his work visit to Germany where the yearly 61st Munich Security Conference is taking place for three days starting on Feb. 14. 

Participating in the conference and engaging with Germany’s influential Ukrainian community are key goals for the visit.

Ahead of the conference, President Grod met with Bishop Bohdan Dzyurakh, Apostolic Exarch for Germany and the Scandinavian countries, and a member of the Permanent Synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC).

The working visit within #MSC2025 started with UWC President @PaulMGrod meeting Bishop Bohdan Dzyurakh: “We discussed the key needs of Ukrainians in 🇩🇪 and the strategy for the future development of our churches, political activities, and the public life of Ukraine in Germany” pic.twitter.com/LQASYsR7EA

— Ukrainian World Congress 🇺🇦 (@UWCongress) February 14, 2025

They discussed the key needs of Ukrainians in Germany, as well as strategies for the continued development of Ukrainian churches, political activities, and community life within the country.

Additionally, President Grod took part in the 6th plenary session of the conference titled “Security in Europe: Religious Dimensions of War and Moral Responsibility for Peace”. 

This session explored the ethical foundations of a new collective security system for Europe.

Grod underscored the critical importance of Ukraine’s victory in shaping the future security architecture of Europe. He pointed out that Europe had previously overlooked multiple warnings regarding Russia’s aggressive actions, and stressed the need for greater European unity in confronting emerging threats.

He also called for full support for Ukraine, including the supply of weapons and granting full EU and NATO membership, to ensure lasting peace and prevent any future Russian attacks on Ukraine or other European countries.

On the sidelines of the conference in southern Germany, Grod held a series of meetings with U.S. senators and congressmen from both the Republican and Democratic parties. 

“Today, I had the opportunity to speak with senators and congressmen from both parties, and they reaffirmed that both chambers of Congress strongly support Ukraine,” said Grod in an interview with “United News.”

He continued: “There are radical opinions that we happen to often hear, but the vast majority of the U.S. Congress supports Ukraine and wants to see Ukraine winning, he added.

“Thus, we have allies among senators and congressmen, and secondly, we have the support of the civil society in the United States. However, we cannot take it as granted and have to work on it every day,” the UWC Pesident said. 

President Grod, together with the leaders of the Ukrainian organizations in Germany, participated in a discussion session titled “Ukraine in Focus: Security, Policy, and Culture.” It centered on strategies to bolster Ukraine’s defense, uphold European stability, and secure peace without concessions to Russia. The event was organized by the Ukrainian Free University in Munich and Zentrum Liberale Moderne, in partnership with Peutinger Collegium and Denkraum Ukraine.

President Grod is scheduled on Feb. 15 to speak at a major pro-Ukrainian rally in Munich, held in conjunction with the high-level conference. Further details are available via the link.