Happy Independence Day, USA!
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The United States has a
strong history of courage and determination in fighting for
freedom and democracy.
Ukraine is no exception.
Happy 4th of July!
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Highlights This Week
- Canada Commits International Support for Ukraine to President Zelenskiy
- The U.S. - Ukraine Foundation's Annual Giving Campaign
- Ukraine's European Integration - What the Residents of Mariupol Think About It - A Report by New Europe
- Economic Development - How a Ukrainian Startup Offers an Inexpensive Solution to Global Counterfeiting
- Celebrating Ukrainian Heritage in North Dakota, July 12 - 14
- Travel to Ukraine - Focus on a Love of Lviv
- This Week In History - Ukraine's Struggle for Independence Continues - a Historical Perspective from the Battle of Konotop
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Trudeau Reaffirms to President Zelenskiy
Canada's Support for Ukraine
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Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, arrives in Toronto, Canada for first overseas visit to the Ukraine Reform Conference on July 1, 2019.
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Canada Vows to Support Ukraine in the Face of Ongoing Russian 'Aggression'
July 2, 2019 - RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
At the Ukraine Reform Conference this week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has vowed to support Ukraine in the wake of Russia's aggression and the illegal annexation by Russia of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
Trudeau made the remarks on July 2 after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the sidelines of the conference in Toronto.
"In the wake of Russian aggression and attempts to undermine Ukraine's sovereignty, including the illegal annexation of Crimea, it's all the more important for countries like Canada to stand alongside its partner...Russia's actions are not only a threat to Ukraine but to international law," Trudeau said.
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USUF's Annual Giving Campaign
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Your generous support for the Foundation’s work is requested at this critical time in Ukraine’s history. A gift at this time will enable us to continue the critically-needed work that we have been doing, such as the following:
- Providing support through grants, humanitarian aid, educational stipends
- Advocating the need for more U.S. support for Ukraine
- Serving as a central, convenient location in Washington for numerous meetings and discussions by “policy-makers” regarding the current situation in Ukraine
- Supporting economic development efforts to “build peace and prosperity” in Ukraine
- Administering people-to-people exchanges for “emerging leaders” of Ukraine.
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- THE 2019 ANNUAL CAMPAIGN ENDS AUGUST 31 -
We are very privileged to have the interest, financial support and volunteerism of so many individuals and organizations throughout our 28 year history. For example, 335 donors contributed $419,039 in private gifts for our programs in 2018, along with many volunteers donating over $210,000 in in-kind, service work. You can learn more about the Foundation's operations and programs from our public reports, made available here:
We greatly appreciate your generous gift.
Please donate now to contribute to the significant work we continue to have the privilege to engage in.
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From Our Latest Programs...Leadership in a Rule of Law Country
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Friends of Ukraine Network Advocate Support for Ukraine
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Friends of Ukraine Network Task Forces presented
2019 priority assistance recommendations for Ukraine.
The event at the U.S. Capitol was co-sponsored by
the House and Senate Ukraine Caucasus. Keynote
speakers included, Amb. Paula Dobriansky, Amb.
Kurt Volker, and Amb. Vitaliy Chaly.
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USUF Holds a Leadership in a Rule of Law Country Program
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U.S. - Ukraine Business Council hosted a reception
at the Embassy of Ukraine for USUF delegation comprised of women entrepreneurs and
Rule of Law practitioners.
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Ukraine's European Integration
A Report by New Europe
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By Kateryna Smagliy
The think-tank, New Europe, has published its new report,
The Last Outpost of Donbas: What Do residents of Mariupol think about European Integration
. The report demonstrates that the city is still largely under Rinat Akhmetov’s control, as six out of eight deputy mayors of Mariupol are former staffers of his Metinvest company. In the first round of presidential elections, Mariupol residents voted for pro-Russian candidates - Yuri Boiko and Oleksandr Vilkul, who got 30% and 20% of votes respectively. The opposition bloc deputies make 45% in the local council; Total number of residents - 480,000, including 17,500 internally displaced persons; European Union opened the EU Center at Mariupol State University to promote European integration. Support of EU integration constantly grows among local residents - from 18% in 2016 to 25% in 2019, but local authorities are not aggressive enough in pursuing pro-European integration. Civic activism and total number of registered SME is still much lower in Mariupol compared to the rest of Ukraine. Mariupol needs better road infrastructure, training in municipal management and financing, business incubators and projects in the area of environmental safety and protection.
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A "Unique Authentication Tag?" It's an Inexpensive Product Fingerprint that a Ukrainian Company Now Offers
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By Mike Buryk, Ukraine Digital News, July 1, 2019
UATAG
, a startup based in Lviv in western Ukraine, has developed an effective and inexpensive solution to combat counterfeiting of products and works of art. The solution relies on a physical tag linked to a blockchain ledger.
The tag uses a piece of shattered glass, which is photographed and then added to a blockchain database. It can be accessed with a QR code later for verification purposes. Since the glass never shatters in the same way, each tag is unique, thus preventing anyone from recreating it.
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To protect the global marketplace from forgery and counterfeit,
UATAG seeks to enable every customer to choose authentic products everywhere they shop
and every time they buy.
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Celebrating Ukrainian Heritage in North Dakota - July 12 - 14
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From Krynytsya -- (The Well)
Krynytsya -- (The Well) - is a monthly podcast series produced and hosted by Mike Buryk, a member of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation's Board of Advisors, a long-time Foundation supporter and business development advisor. To start listening today, go to...
This week, we feature...
An interview with
Marie Makaruk and Bill Palanuk with the Ukrainian Cultural Institute in Dickinson, North Dakota
(www.ucitoday.org)
While Ukrainian-Americans on the East Coast are flocking to major Ukrainian festivals in Kerhonkson and Ellenville, New York this month, they might not be aware that their counterparts in the Great Plains will be heading to the 2019 North Dakota Ukrainian Heritage Festival. The three-day event opens in the city of Belfield on July 12, moves to Dickinson on July 13, and concludes in Fairfield on July 14. The festival features Ukrainian cuisine, a pysanka painting workshop and a service commemorating the 45
th
anniversary of the Ukrainian Memorial Pioneer Cross. Ukrainian immigrants first settled in the state in the late 1890s. To learn more about the Ukrainian-Americans of North Dakota their history and how they celebrate their culture visit the website of the local
Ukrainian Cultural Institute
and listen to a fascinating interview with two Ukrainian-North Dakotans - Maria Makaruk and Bill Palanuk - conducted by Michael Buryk, an advisory board member of USUF.
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Travel to Ukraine - Focus on a Love of Lviv
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If You Love Lviv,
You're Not Alone
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Fun New Ways to
See Old Town Lviv
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By Adr
ian Karmazyn
With direct flights to Lviv now available from 41 foreign cities and with over a million international travelers passing through its airport annually, the unofficial capital of western Ukraine is truly living up to its motto of being “Open to the World.”
First-time visitors to Lviv are discovering what long-time fans have known for years–that the city center’s compact ensemble of historic architecture, combined with a wide array of delightful cafes and restaurants, create an amazing travel experience.
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By Ihor Lylo
In recent years the tourism market has changed appreciably. An ever-growing number of visitors are looking for new, colorful and dynamic experiences and discoveries.
Lviv, in particular, has become fashionable as a unique and extraordinary city. Today, it is no longer sufficient to guide a person through the old part of town and talk about its history. Tourists are increasingly demanding tours that encompass several interesting elements.
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Ukraine's Struggle for Independence Continues - a Historical Perspective from the Battle of Konotop
By Joseph Bistransky, Intern
Ukraine’s current struggle to maintain its independence is often explained at through the modern lenses of language or ideology. While these factors have their place, more fundamental is the simple fact of Ukraine’s geographic position at the borderlands of Europe, which makes it a prime target for conquerors as far back as Attila the Hun. More often than not in the historical record, the Ukrainians who stood up to defend their homeland against these invaders were defeated by superior forces supported by vast Eurasian empires, making the handful of victories which shaped modern Ukrainian independence all the more impressive and worth remembering. This week marks the 360
th
anniversary of the Cossack victory over invading Russian forces at the Battle of Konotop.
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Commemorative coin of 10
U
krainian Hryvnia
issued for the 350th anniversary of the Battle of Konotop.
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After declaring independence from Poland-Lithuania, the Ukrainian Cossack Hetmanate under Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky entered into a controversial alliance with the Russian Tsar, with the hope that the new state could retain its independence while gaining protection from further Polish incursions. However, soon after, Russia violated the terms of the alliance by signing a separate peace with Poland to fight their common enemy Sweden, sparking fears in the Hetmanate that the two powers would negotiate a secret partition. These concerns were exacerbated after the death of Hetman Khmeltytsky, when Moscow supported opposition and rebellion against his successor, Ivan Vyhovsky. As a result, Vyhovsky and the Hetmanate’s government decided that Russia did not intend to respect their independence, and negotiated a new alliance with Poland. Moscow responded with an invasion force of 30,000 men, which soon laid siege to the border fortress of Konotop in modern-day Sumy Oblast.
As the siege progressed, Vyhovsky gathered a united Ukrainian-Polish-Tatar force to oppose the Russian invasion. When it arrived at the fortress on June 30, 1659, it immediately attacked the Russian army, but was repulsed and forced to flee across a nearby river. The Russian commander sent half of his army across the river to pursue the retreating Cossacks while the main force continued the siege. After the pursuing detachment had crossed, a small Cossack force snuck around it and dismantled the bridge across the river, allowing the Ukrainian army to counterattack and destroy the pursuing Russians. With half of the Russian army defeated, the sieging force was forced to retreat, leaving many of their cannons and heavy weapons behind.
The victory was not to last. Despite the rising threat from Moscow, Vyhovsky’s alliance with Poland was unpopular, and when his Polish and Tatar allies returned home, he was faced with a second Russian-supported rebellion, which successfully ousted him. The Hetmanate became a vassal of Russia, which slowly but surely usurped its autonomy, finally completely dissolving it in 1775 and ending Ukrainian independence for another 140 years. While it did not significantly affect the course of history, the victory at Konotop was the first in a long line of successful acts of defiance against Russian domination of Ukraine, and remains an example of how courage, cleverness, and solidarity between nations can prevail over seemingly-overwhelming military force.
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SUPPORT THE U.S.-UKRAINE FOUNDATION'S
2019 ANNUAL GIVING CAMPAIGN
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