More Ukraine presence needed in U.S.

I came to the U.S. at the invitation of the organizers of Ukrainian Week in Washington. Thanks to Pavlo Unguryan. Throughout the week, conferences, discussions, and events were held with Ukrainian and American politicians, artists, military personnel, and clergy.

Among the participants were fighters from the Third Assault Brigade, His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphany, Bishop Borys Hudziak, and Protestant church leaders. I spoke at a conference focused on demographic issues.

I also attended the Religious Freedom Forum — an important event, especially given the presence of a Russian Church defender from Amsterdam pushing anti-Ukrainian narratives.

"The organizers also invited Yaroslav Bazylevych and Maksym Kulyk. In Lviv, a Russian missile killed Yaroslav’s wife and three daughters. In Kryvyi Rih, Maksym lost his wife, two sons, and daughter. Their speeches were moving."

I didn’t attend the National Prayer Breakfast, but instead, we maximized our time by meeting with congressional colleagues from both parties. These meetings happen during these days.

This is crucial, given the uncertainty around future U.S. policy on supporting Ukraine. Without that support, our state could cease to exist. It’s good that members of the Verkhovna Rada represented both the government and the opposition. We met with nearly 20 congressmen. We traveled on our own dime — an absurd reality, considering the government’s unjustified spending on official trips.

Still, the trip was incredibly productive. Of course, some politicians from the past and those looking for PR opportunities showed up at public events.

Beyond politics, I spoke with journalists from The Washington Post and visited the Greek Catholic Seminary with colleagues, where future priest-diplomats are being trained.

There should be more Ukraine in the U.S. to counter the Putin-Tucker-Carlson narrative.

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About the author. Mykola Kniazhytskyi, journalist, member of the Ukrainian parliament.

The editorial staff does not always share the opinions expressed by the blog authors.