Ukrainian ambassador visits Minnesota, urges people to remember Ukraine

Inside a gym-turned-medical supply room at the Ukrainian American Community Center in Minneapolis, stacked high with bags of tourniquets and wound treatment kits, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States urged Americans not to forget about Ukraine's struggle.

Ambassador Oksana Markarova's visit to Minnesota on Thursday was the first of a 10-state tour, primarily of the Midwest, to increase community dialogue about the war and bolster support for Ukraine. Called Whistlestops for Ukraine, the tour is hosted by the think tank German Marshall Fund of the United States the philanthropic Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

"We can win this one. It is very difficult ... we are fighting this fight every day, there are a barrage of missiles and drones on peaceful cities every day," Markarova said to a supportive crowd of about 50, including a handful of injured Ukrainian soldiers. "But we will stay the course. We need you, our friends, to stay the course with us."

The war in Ukraine broke out in February 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine that left tens of thousands of civilians dead and millions of people displaced.

Since then, the Ukrainian-American community in northeast Minneapolis and beyond has stepped up to support, by collecting money to purchase medical equipment to be sent off to the battlefield and by welcoming refugees in need of assistance.

The ambassador was joined by Howard G. Buffett, head of the philanthropic organization, and Heather Conley of the think tank for the event that focused on the importance of continuing to support Ukraine as a stopgap to continued Russian aggression.

Ukraine never had any intention to attack Russia, Markarova said, pointing out how small the country is compared to Russia. Just like Ukrainian Americans who immigrated to Minnesota and built the community center, Ukrainians dreamed of living in peace, Markarova said. Their country's choice to be Democratic and European was threat enough to Russian President Vladimir Putin, she said.

Buffett warned that if Ukraine is not successful in fighting Russia's invasion, he predicts Russia will go on to attack a European NATO country and the United States will have no choice but to become fully embroiled in another world war with its greatest enemy.

"Americans have much more at stake in this than they realize," Buffett said. "We will be sending our sons and daughters and our brothers and sisters to fight a war that has to be fought if it comes to other borders."

The event also highlighted the work of Minnesota organizations and speakers like Dr. Yakov "Jacob" Gradinar who co-founded the Protez Foundation, which fits injured Ukrainian soldiers with prosthetics , as well as local refugee resettlement projects.

Other stops on Markarova's tour of Minnesota included an agribusiness discussion at The Minneapolis Foundation, a visit to the Minnesota State Capitol with Senate President Bobby Joe Champion, a trip to the Minnesota Farmers Union with Gov. Tim Walz and a visit to the Protez Foundation in Oakdale.

The ambassador encouraged Minnesotans and Congress to support the supplementary budget ahead of what could be a life-threateningly cold winter if Russia attacks Ukraine's energy grid once again, Marakova said.

The Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova spoke with Father Ivan Schkumbatyuk before the program.