On Oct. 22, over 500 people from 36 states gathered in Washington, D.C. to participate in the second Ukraine Action Summit of the year. The conference was organized by the American Coalition for Ukraine, a union of 97 partner organizations working on strengthening Ukraine’s defense, safeguarding its sovereignty and enhancing relations between the U.S. and Ukraine. The coalition formed as a response to the start of the full-scale war and held similar summits in fall 2022 and spring 2023.
The unfurling of the largest Ukrainian flag in the world during the Fall 2023 Ukraine Action Summit in Washington, D.C. is pictured.
Participants of the summit learned how to advocate for aid to Ukraine in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion and attended congressional meetings to discuss the measures that could be taken to accelerate Ukrainian victory. Congress members also had a chance to hear from Ukrainian veterans about the needs of the Ukrainian army. On the concluding day of the summit, the attendees unfurled the largest Ukrainian flag in the world next to the Washington Monument. During the summit, Tufts sophomore Kate Shymkiv attended a meeting with a staffer from Massachusetts Rep. Catherine Clark’s office and was present for meetings with Sen. Markey and Sen. Warren of Massachusetts. Shymkiv shared that she and other participants advocated for the importance of frontloading aid as potential counteroffensive instead of evenly disturbing aid every month. They also talked about legislation that is to be introduced to Congress, including the supplemental budget request based on President Biden’s initiative to supply Ukraine with aid throughout 2024.
According to Shymkiv, one of her main takeaways from the Fall 2023 Ukraine Action Summit was the realization of how widespread support for Ukraine is among Americans. “I met with so many amazing people, especially the ones that are fully American with little to no connection to Ukraine and who are so passionate about their work and do so much more than they have to.”
The main goal of the event was to advocate for ensuring that Ukraine receives the necessary funds and equipment to protect itself against Russia’s aggression. As the war goes on, U.S. aid continues to be critical for the country to recapture its territories and prevent the unraveling of a global-scale conflict involving the military intervention of NATO.
Attendees at the Fall 2023 Ukraine Action Summit in Washington, D.C., are pictured.
