WASHINGTON, D.C. June 6, 2014


TO: NCSJ Leadership and Interested Parties

FROM: Stephen M. Greenberg, Chairman;
Alexander Smukler, NCSJ President;
Mark B. Levin, NCSJ Executive Director

Dear Friend,

Today in France, President Barack Obama met briefly with President Vladimir Putin, on the sidelines of ceremonies commemorating the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landing in Normandy.

President Putin also met with Petro Poroshenko, who will be inaugurated as Ukraine's president on Saturday. During a short discussion, both Poroshenko and Putin agreed on the need to find a political solution to stop the violence in Ukraine.

Commemorations in Normandy concluded a series of meetings for President Obama with European leaders, which began in Warsaw and Brussels. On Wednesday, President Obama met for the first time with President-Elect Poroshenko, and pledged support for Ukraine's efforts to end unrest and resolve the country's economic crisis. President Obama also warned Russia that it could face additional sanctions if it continues to support pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine.

This week's update includes details of the meetings and analysis of their implications for the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

Finally, there's still time to sign up for our Board of Governors meeting on Tuesday, June 10. Presentations will include a keynote speech from U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Eric Rubin, and remarks by Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Yaakov Bleich and Dr. Archil Gegeshidze, Ambassador of Georgia to the United States. For more information and to register, please visit www.ncsj.org/Board.pdf.

Sincerely,

Mark B. Levin
Executive Director

About NCSJ

NCSJ: Advocates on Behalf of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States & Eurasia, founded in 1971, represents the organized American Jewish community in monitoring and advocating on behalf of the estimated 1.5 million Jews living in the 15 successor states of the former Soviet Union.