On October 25–29, Washington, D.C. hosted the Seventh Ukrainian Action Summit, which brought together 700 delegates from across the United States. The event, dedicated to advocating for Ukraine’s interests, is organized twice a year by the American Coalition for Ukraine, founded by Razom for Ukraine, the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America, the U.S.-Ukraine Coordination Council, Nova Ukraine, and United Help Ukraine.
The key topics of this year’s summit included holding Russia accountable for its aggression against Ukraine, strengthening sanctions, returning children abducted by Russia, and ensuring security guarantees for Ukraine.
“More than half of the delegates do not even have Ukrainian roots, yet they buy tickets and travel to Washington to discuss support for Ukraine with their elected senators and members of Congress,” said Ihor Markov, a representative of the Coalition.
As part of the summit, participants attended advocacy training sessions and later held 452 meetings with U.S. lawmakers to advance Ukraine-related initiatives. The program also featured a conference on security, reconstruction, and cultural diplomacy, which included eight panel discussions, as well as an exhibition showcasing the work of 22 Ukrainian and American organizations promoting Ukraine’s interests in the United States.
In parallel with the Summit, three new bills in support of Ukraine were introduced in the U.S. Congress. They propose to:
- designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism in response to the abduction, deportation, and forced assimilation of Ukrainian children;
- direct frozen Russian assets toward Ukraine’s defense and reconstruction;
- impose sanctions on Chinese companies cooperating with Russia’s defense industry.
Photo by Tatyana Bessmertnaya