NEW YORK – On Wednesday, October 3, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie L. Yovanovitch met with Ukrainian American leaders in New York City for an informal lunchtime conversation.
Gathering at the Ukrainian East Village Restaurant housed in the Ukrainian National Home of New York, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) thanked Ambassador Yovanovitch for agreeing to meet with representatives of organizations such as the Center for U.S.-Ukrainian Relations (CUSUR), New Ukraine Wave, the Self Reliance New York Federal Credit Union, the Ukrainian American Youth Association (UAYA), The Ukrainian Museum, the United Ukrainian American Relief Committee (UUARC), the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America (UNWLA), the Women’s Association for the Defense of Four Freedoms for Ukraine (WADFFU) and the World Board of the Ukrainian Youth Association, to discuss the ambassador’s views on the current status of U.S.-Ukraine relations and in turn to inform the U.S. diplomat of the diaspora’s effort to support their ancestoral homeland.
The working luncheon was held in a collegial atmosphere during which the ambassador answered questions from each representative for over 90 minutes, going so far as to delay her original time of departure to allow for additional discussion.
Following the conclusion of their luncheon, the ambassador invited the UCCA and its delegates to the upcoming XI Ukrainian World Congress this November to continue their discussion while in Kyiv, and made sure that the community’s representatives knew how to contact her directly.