American Coalition for Ukraine

American Coalition for Ukraine (ACU) is a coalition of nearly 100 US organizations that advocate for US support of Ukraine's defense and sovereignty, as well as strengthening U.S. relations with Ukraine.[1][2][3][4] It was established in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[5]

Structure

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The founding members of the Coalition including US-based Ukrainian nonprofit organizations Razom for Ukraine, Ukrainian National Women's League of America, Nova Ukraine, Ukrainian American Coordinating Council, United Help Ukraine, and Klych. Non-Ukrainian founding members MedGlobal and the Georgian Association in the US demonstrate the diversity among US-based supporters of Ukraine. The Coalition includes as members a number of additional small and medium nonprofit organizations. The Board of Directors is the governing body of the Coalition.[6]

Ukraine Action Summits

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The Coalition organizes Ukraine Action Summits in Washington, DC where elected officials meet their constituents to discuss legislative and operational topics related to Ukraine.[6][7][8][9] Such meetings were acknowledged by US Senators Chuck Schumer,[10] Alex Padilla[11] and Bob Menendez,[12] as well as Representatives Steny Hoyer[13] and Joseph Morelle.[14] The table below summarizes statistics for the Summits, including the number of constituents registered to attend, the number of US states they represented, and the number of congressional meetings they held including drop-in meetings.[6]

Statistics for Ukraine Action Summits held in Washington, DC
Summits Dates Number of constituents US states represented Number of meetings
1 September 18-22, 2022 270 33 170
2 April 23-25, 2023 320 34 176
3 October 22-24, 2023 500 34 193
4 April 13-16, 2024 560 47 350
5 September 22-25, 2024 510 44 300+

Early Ukraine Action Summits were primarily organized by Razom for Ukraine (a founding member of the Coalition) and facilitated the establishment of the ACU. The second Summit increased the number of participants[3] and extended the program with networking opportunities, such as discussion panels with representatives of US nonprofits and government agencies, as well as advocacy activists. The Summit featured Viktor Yushchenko, the former President of Ukraine.[15] The Georgian Association in the US joined the ACU, and members of the Georgian community started to attend Ukraine Action Summits.[16] The third Summit further increased the number of attendees and the number of meetings on the Hill.[4][17][18]

The fourth Ukraine Action Summit was held April 13-16, 2024. It marked an improvement in US State participation and saw a significant increase in the number of congressional meetings with constituents.[19][20] Summit attendees conveyed to lawmakers a sense of urgency for providing Ukraine aid and clarified misunderstandings about accountability for U.S. aid to Ukraine.[1] Their primary aim was persuading lawmakers to approve $61B in aid to Kyiv.[2][3][4] The Congress passed relevant foreign assistance bills on April 20, 2024, quickly followed by the Senate and by the presidential approval.[21][22]

The fifth Summit (September 22-24, 2024) was held in Washington, DC simultaneously with a United Nations General Assembly session in New York City and a visit by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the US. It focused on the continuation of military and humanitarian aid, and facilitating long-term cooperation between Ukraine and the United States.[23] The Summit featured an address by Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) President Paul Grod[24] and emphasized the need for collective efforts to support Ukraine during the challenging times.[25] Immediately after the Summit, President Joe Biden issued a statement on support for Ukraine which provisioned for $7.9B in military assistance.[26]

References

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  1. ^ a b Soldak, Katya. "Ukraine Aid Bill: Sense Of Urgency Brought To Capitol Hill". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
  2. ^ a b Edmondson, Catie (March 25, 2024). "Vowing the U.S. Will 'Do Our Job,' Johnson Searches for a Path on Ukraine". New York Times.
  3. ^ a b c Kateryna Lisunova; Dmitro Melnyk (2023-04-28). "The Ukrainian Action Summit ended in Washington: what did Ukrainian community activists accomplish?". Voice of America (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  4. ^ a b c Shinkarenko, Iryna (2023-10-26). "Over 500 Ukrainians and Americans advocated at the Congress for the necessity of further support for Kyiv". Voice of America (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  5. ^ Goshylyk, Nataliia; Goshylyk, Volodymir (2024). "Ukrainian-American non-profits in 2014–2022: constructing diasporic Ukrainian identity through personal and collective narratives". European Societies. 26 (2): 552–573. doi:10.1080/14616696.2023.2298432.
  6. ^ a b c "American Coalition for Ukraine". American Coalition for Ukraine. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  7. ^ Holwick, Emily (2022-09-12). "Olathe woman traveling to DC to advocate for continued aid for Ukraine". KMBC: Kansas City News. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  8. ^ "Local activist lobbies for Ukraine aid legislation". The Blade. 2024-04-19. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  9. ^ "Український саміт: на зустрічі із законодавцями до Вашингтона приїхала рекордна кількість учасників". YouTube (in Ukrainian). Голос Америки. 2024-04-18. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  10. ^ Schumer, Chuck (April 25, 2023). "Meeting with American Coalition for Ukraine". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  11. ^ Padilla, Alex (Sep 20, 2022). "Met with the American Coalition for Ukraine today". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  12. ^ "Sen. Menendez Meets with American Coalition for Ukraine to Highlight the Senator's Advocacy on Behalf of the Country and Ukrainian-American Citizens | U.S. Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey". www.menendez.senate.gov. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  13. ^ Hoyer, Steny (October 25, 2023). "Meet with the American Coalition for Ukraine". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  14. ^ Morelle, Joe (April 25, 2023). "Supporting the Ukrainian people". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  15. ^ Bittner, Jamie (2023-04-28). "Lawmakers join Ukraine's fmr. President to rally Americans to support the Ukraine war". Gray Washington News Bureau. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  16. ^ "Georgian Association joins the American Coalition for Ukraine at Ukraine Action Summit | Georgian Association". georgianassociation.org. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  17. ^ Kaplan, David; Gabino, Eric (2023-04-24). "Bakersfield pastor gives invocation at support for Ukraine event in Washington D.C." Bakersfield Now: KBAK Fox 58. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  18. ^ Brugellis, Joseph (October 26, 2023). "Broome County delegation advocates for Ukraine in Washington D.C." Binghamton University Pipe Dream.
  19. ^ "Ukraine Action Summit Spring 2024". American Coalition for Ukraine. April 2024.
  20. ^ Український саміт: на зустрічі із законодавцями до Вашингтона приїхала рекордна кількість учасників. Voice of America Ukrainian (Голос Америки Українською). 2024-04-18. Retrieved 2024-06-18 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ Zengerle, Patricia; Cowan, Richard (April 23, 2024). "US Congress passes Ukraine aid after months of delay". Reuters.
  22. ^ Madhani, Aamer; Kim, Seung Min (April 24, 2024). "Biden says the US is rushing weaponry to Ukraine as he signs a $95 billion war aid measure into law". AP News.
  23. ^ "Results of Ukraine Action Summit: Ukrainian community calls for action and increased assistance to Ukraine". Vilni Media. September 26, 2024.
  24. ^ "UWC President Grod participates in Ukraine Action Summit in Washington". Ukrainian World Congress. September 26, 2024.
  25. ^ Biden and Zelenskyy discussed victory plan on YouTube
  26. ^ "Statement from President Joe Biden on U.S. Support for Ukraine". whitehouse.gov. September 25, 2024.
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