White House Welcomes Ukraine's President as Ukrainian Americans Demand More Action

New York, NY (UCCA) – Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko visited the White House on Tuesday, June 20, exactly 5 months following President Trump’s inauguration. Also on hand to meet with President Poroshenko in the Oval Office were Vice-President Mike Pence, National Security Adviser General H.R. McMaster and Ambassador of the United States to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. Earlier in the day, President Poroshenko visited with Energy Secretary Rick Perry, and followed up his visit to the White House with a meeting with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at the State Department. This was then followed up by a full delegation visit to the Pentagon, complete with a ceremonial entrance prior to a lengthy meeting with Defense Secretary James Mattis and his senior staff.

The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), the nation’s largest representative body of Americans of Ukrainian descent, has issued a statement welcoming this demonstration of the United States’ continued alliance with Ukraine, and which calls on the United States to “maintain and strengthen sanctions to ratchet up the pressure on Russia and those companies which support Russia’s illegal actions in Ukraine.” Since the beginning of 2017, there have been nearly 2,000 recorded attacks by Russian forces across the 'ceasefire' line in Ukraine, with dozens of civilians killed this year alone. Russian forces have also resumed firing heavy artillery onto Ukrainian positions, as well as deployed portable rocket launchers.

In response to Russia’s aggressive military action in Ukraine and malicious cyber activity against the United States and our allies, the U.S. Senate passed a new sanctions regime last week by an overwhelming vote of 97-2. The UCCA’s statement calls on all supporters of Ukraine to contact their elected Representatives TODAY to urge them to pass the sanctions contained in the Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities Act in the House of Representatives. Since passing the Senate, this legislation has been relegated to a House subcommittee, where it might remain unpassed before the August recess.

The UCCA’s statement concludes its call to action by reminding our elected leaders that they should “honor the commitments made to our strategic allies, and provide Ukraine with defensive weapons, equipment, and training as already authorized by Congress in order to counter Russia’s offenses and reestablish Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” 

The statement is available here.

Source: The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA)