Washington, D.C. — Members of the Ukrainian community from various parts of the U.S. visited the American capital earlier this month to meet with their political representatives to discuss ways of helping the country of their descent.
Some 50 people, including a group of teenagers learning about the American political system, went to the offices of politicians from the Senate and the House of Representatives in and around the iconic, domed Capitol building.
Meetings with senators and representatives in Washington is a traditional way for individuals and groups in America to influence their political representatives about special interests and demonstrate to them they are keeping an eye on them.
The Ukrainian-Americans met with about 50 politicians or their aides in an event called “Ukrainian Days” organized by the Ukrainian National Information Service (UNIS). UNIS is the information arm of the largest Ukrainian-American diaspora body, the Ukrainian American Congress Committee.
The director of UNIS, Michael Sawkiw, said it had arranged such events since 2001 – usually two or three times each year. The meetings are private and off-the-record so that issues can be discussed candidly and in a non-partisan manner.
“This advocacy event is an opportunity to meet with new Members of Congress and acquaint them with our concerns, while encouraging our long-term supporters to enhance support for a strong and vibrant civil society in Ukraine, as well as to promote military assistance to Ukraine to preserve its territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence,” He said.
Nord Stream 2 and captive Ukrainian sailors
He briefed those taking part in the event on key speaking points for their meetings with politicians. Some of the issues such as U.S. financial and military support for Ukraine have been on the agenda previously.
The event emphasized on three priority topics: the release of Ukrainian sailors held captive by Russia, the cancelation of the proposed Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and the increase of sanctions against Russia imposed since its invasion of Ukraine and reformulated by the 2017 Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
Russia attacked and captured three Ukrainian naval vessels and their 24 crew in the Kerch Strait entrance to the Azov Sea last November. American politicians were asked to urge U.S. President Donald Trump to make his planned meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Japan contingent on Moscow releasing the Ukrainian sailors that international law has deemed are being kept prisoner illegally.
Ukraine and the U.S. both oppose the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline designed to bypass Ukraine and bring Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea. The politicians were asked to press for sanctions against companies involved in the project, supported by Germany and some other European Union countries, to thereby stall its construction.
Olena Halkowycz from UCCA’s Jersey City branch in the state of New Jersey told the Kyiv Post she had been a political activist for Ukrainian causes since her high school days in the 1970s.
“These events bring to the attention of our political representatives that we have causes that pertain to Ukraine and the Ukrainian community and we inform them that we support our representatives and we ask them to support some of our needs, especially since Ukraine is fighting off invasion by Russia,” she said.
New Jersey has a large population of Ukrainian descent and Halkowycz was one of the state’s 12 representatives taking part in the event. She believes such political activity brings “tremendous benefit” for Ukraine and the Ukrainian community in the U.S.
Many of New Jersey’s politicians, she said, including senior senator, Robert Menendez, have “been outspoken in their support for Ukraine’s military activities” and taken the lead in many valuable measures helping Ukraine.
Advocacy has led to practical help
Sawkiw said that over the years, but particularly since the military conflict with Russia started, bipartisan support has grown among members of Congress to introduce and back measures helping Ukraine.
He said one of the most important things that the advocacy events have yielded is the Ukraine Freedom Support Act, a package pledging hundreds of millions of dollars in economic, military and cybersecurity assistance each year to Ukraine and which led to the provision of Javelin anti-armor missiles for Ukraine’s armed forces last year.
“It’s a chance to measure the temperament and support for Ukraine in Congress and to give a little nudge, if necessary, to push politicians to be active in assisting Ukraine,” Sawkiw said.
He said members of Congress were additionally reminded during the meetings to urge NATO to embrace Ukraine as a member and to support resolutions designating the Holdomor – Stalin’s artificially-engineered famine which culminated in 1933 with millions of Ukrainians dying from starvation – as genocide.
The day’s events ended with a reception where Republican senators John Barrasso from Wyoming and Rob Portman from Ohio received awards from UCCA president, Andriy Futey, for their support of Ukraine.
“There is incredible bipartisan friendship and determination among U.S. politicians to give Ukraine what it needs to protect its freedom and that’s going to continue,” said Portman, who visited Ukraine in May and met with the country’s new president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
He reminisced about his trips to Ukraine with Senator John McCain, a long-time friend of Ukraine, who died last year.
“Like the people of Ukraine, John McCain was a person of stubborn courage and heroic patriotism and that’s what I see [in Ukraine] today,” Portman said.
Senator John McCain received a UNIS award in 2015.
