The Ukrainian Weekly (https://www.ukrweekly.com/uwwp/author/admin/page/14/)
The takeaway for Ukraine is that the Biden-Putin summit in Geneva apparently did take place. There were two press conferences, one by each of the principals to prove that. Apparently, the only tangible result was the renewed exchange of ambassadors. For the American cynic this was a far cry from Helsinki and thus a major victory for the American side. But success cannot be measured by Trump years.
The following column discusses the work of the Helsinki Commission beginning in the late 1980s, as the Soviet empire began to unravel, to the present day. Part 1 of this two-part series, which ran in the May 30 issue of The Ukrainian Weekly, discussed the work of the Helsinki Commission from its founding up to the late 1980s.
MORRISTOWN, N.J. – A wide circle of members and friends of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America (UNWLA) Branch 75 of Morris County, N.J. were treated to an afternoon of delightful entertainment this past winter: a Zoom cooking class led by renowned and beloved chef Andrey Sonevytsky of Soyuzivka Heritage Center in Kerhonkson, N.Y.
Mr. Sonevytsky has spent nearly his entire life cooking. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1995 with a degree in Culinary Arts. As part of his credentials, Mr. Sonevytsky interned at three well-known restaurants in New York City: the Tribeca Grill, Montraché and NOBU. Soon after, he started to work at Soyuzivka, training under the mentorship of Andrij Lesiw. Shortly after, Mr. Sonevytsky took over as head chef at Soyuzivka, where has worked since.
HARTFORD, Conn. – On the eve of U.S. President Joe Biden’s historic NATO summit, Ukrainian American veterans, community leaders and activists from 12 towns across Connecticut came to the Ukrainian National Home in Hartford on June 14 for an early morning meeting with U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).
Zelenskyy wants clarity on NATO path
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on June 15 he wants a clear yes or no from U.S. President Joe Biden on giving Ukraine a plan to join the NATO military alliance. In a joint interview with Reuters, the Associated Press and Agence France-Press, Mr. Zelenskyy said he received assurances that Mr. Biden would not use Ukraine as a bargaining tool in his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
U.S. President Joe Biden has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to visit the White House this summer in a show of support for the Eastern European country.
Mr. Biden extended the invitation during a phone call with Mr. Zelenskyy on June 7, national-security adviser Jake Sullivan said during a press conference. It was the second call between the leaders since Mr. Biden took office in January.
On April 12, amid escalating tensions along the Ukrainian border, Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Taran expressed concern that “Crimea’s infrastructure is being prepared for potentially storing nuclear weapons” (Radio Svoboda, April 14). Even though Mr. Taran did not supply evidence for this claim, it is plausible to assert that such nuclear potential in occupied Crimea certainly exists.
The foreign affairs ministers of Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova signed a memorandum of understanding on establishing cooperation on European integration in Kyiv on May 17, forming a trilateral alliance called the “Association Trio.” The primary goal of the new alliance is to make a concerted move toward European integration, as the document outlines their EU membership goal. “[A]s European states, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine have a European perspective and may apply to become a member of the European Union,” the document stated (Mfa.gov.ua, May 17).
While attention this month has shifted to the foreign policy sphere, the unprecedented offensive recently launched by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy against Ukraine’s hitherto seemingly all-powerful oligarchs has intensified.
BRUSSELS – In advance of the 2021 NATO Allied Leaders summit on June 14 in Brussels, the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) calls on global Ukrainian communities and friends of Ukraine to petition leaders of NATO-member countries to accelerate a NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) for Ukraine. This summit takes place amid the unprecedented escalation of Russian aggression in the region clearly indicating that Russia is an imminent threat to Europe and all NATO member countries.