The Ukrainian Weekly (https://www.ukrweekly.com/uwwp/author/admin/page/6/)
The chairs of foreign affairs committees representing eight national parliaments released the following statement on July 29.
We, the chairs of foreign affairs committees of our respective national parliaments, are deeply disturbed by the decision of the United States and Germany on Nord Stream 2, which entails resuming completion of works on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
The following statement was issued by members of the European Parliament on July 27.
BRUSSELS – The U.S.-Germany agreement over Nord Stream 2 is not a European agreement, but an attempt by the two countries to improve their bilateral relations and change the situation from very bad to bad.
PARIS – Devoid of the usual fanfare that accompanies the opening of a new business, Alina Wolf simply opened the door of her restaurant Oranta on July 1 and welcomed wandering visitors to try traditional Ukrainian borshch, varenyky and potato pancakes in the heart of the city.
Officials from the United States and Russia met in Geneva on July 28 to discuss strategic nuclear stability, and to specifically find agreement on reducing their respective nuclear arsenals. Experts on the issue believe the two countries account for roughly 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons.
Thirty-five years ago, in the August 3, 1986, issue of The Ukrainian Weekly, readers were informed about Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s decision to withdraw six regiments (roughly 6 percent of the estimated 120,000 stationed troops: one tank regiment, two motorized rifle regiments, three anti-aircraft units and all of their equipment) from Afghanistan by the end of 1986.
By profession I am a historian who was raised and educated in the United States, and who has taught the history of Ukraine for over four decades at the University of Toronto in Canada. I come to you, then, as someone who has developed a professional and personal love and appreciation for the rich cultural heritage that your ancestors created on this beautiful land called Ukraine.
In my last column I touched upon the extensive interaction between the Ukrainian pioneers and the First Nations of Canada, and noted that this is an aspect of history that is little known. Lately, however, the first steps have been taken to bring this issue to public awareness.
First woman conductor at Bayreuth
Ukrainian-born maestra Oksana Lyniv became the first woman to conduct a production in the 145-year history of Germany’s renowned Bayreuth opera festival. Ms. Lyniv opened the festival on July 25 with the premiere of The Flying Dutchman, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her husband in the audience.
JENKINTOWN, Pa. – The Ukrainian Educational and Cultural Center (UECC) in Jenkintown, Pa., marked its 40th anniversary with a virtual celebration posted on its webpage, YouTube and Facebook. The video paid particular tribute to the nine presidents of the UECC who led the numerous Boards of Directors in serving the Ukrainian-American community of the greater Philadelphia area over those 40 years.
NEW YORK – Artist Susan Hwang released a music video on June 30 based on Ukrainian writer’s Serhiy Zhadan’s poem “Psalm to Aviation 58.” The video release event took place in New York City’s East Village with Yara Arts Group as the sponsor of the event.