The first Ukrainian Days of 2017 – and the first to be held during the Trump administration – were on March 8-9 in Washington with nearly four dozen Ukrainian Americans from 12 states and the District of Columbia participating. Group members visited the offices of more than 50 members of Congress to personally press their concerns about Russia’s war against Ukraine and the urgency of strong U.S. support for Ukraine. It was also a valuable learning experience on which further advocacy can be built, as the activists attended several briefings and a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, and received an information package on “How Congress Can Assist Ukraine.”
The director of the Ukrainian National Information Service (UNIS), Michael Sawkiw Jr., explained that, although such Ukrainian Days were usually held once a year, “since the election of a new Congress and president in November 2016, as well as renewed Russian aggression in Ukraine, …once again Ukrainian Americans must send the message that Ukraine’s fight for democracy and independence is not a battle that it can fight alone.” He added that there will be several such advocacy events this year.
A front-page news story about Ukrainian Days appeared in this newspaper on March 19; in the March 26 issue, the Michigan delegation followed up with a separate report on its activity. (Next week, on our UKELODEON page, we’ll carry a high school student’s article about the participation of a Philadelphia-area Ukrainian studies school’s civics group.)
Now, UNIS is encouraging Ukrainian Americans to follow up on the Ukrainian Days mission by conducting similar advocacy on the local level in their states and congressional districts. To that end, UNIS has prepared new briefing materials on Ukraine-related bills that have been introduced in Congress. A letter from UNIS points out: “By maintaining contact with your elected officials on a local level, the community can enhance and further encourage their active support of our issues of concern. Therefore, UNIS encourages all communities to contact their elected representatives and participate in this initiative on the local level by meeting with your respective members of Congress in their district offices during the upcoming April congressional recess period (April 7-23).” [Copies of the materials may be requested from UNIS by calling 202-547-0018 or e-mailing [email protected].]
UNIS cites a number of significant bills and resolutions that should be promoted: S. 94, the Counteracting Russian Hostilities Act of 2017; S. 341, the Russian Sanctions Review Act of 2017; H.R. 463, the Crimea Annexation Non-Recognition Act; H.R. 830, the STAND for Ukraine Act; H.R. 1059, the Russia Sanctions Review Act of 2017; and H.R. 1751, the Counteracting Russian Hostilities Act of 2017.
Also important are a number of resolutions: S. Res. 54, Expressing unwavering commitment of the United States to NATO; S. Res. 100, Condemning illegal Russian aggression in Ukraine on the three-year anniversary of the annexation of Crimea; H. Res. 88, Calling on the Russian Federation to stop the violence in Ukraine.
In a nutshell, these bills and resolutions advocate: rejection of Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and reinforcement of Ukraine’s territorial integrity; maintenance of sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and imposition of additional sanctions on Russia for its cyberattacks and other aggressive activities; insistence that Russia honor the Minsk accords and stop financing the “separatists” in eastern Ukraine; as well as continued U.S. support of NATO. In addition, UNIS continues to promote the designation of Ukraine as a Major Non-NATO Ally, a status being sought by Ukraine that confers military and financial advantages which would facilitate an effective response to Russian aggression and, in short, would help Ukraine defend itself.
All these bills and resolutions reflect our community’s concerns, and it behooves us all to do our utmost to secure their passage.