News
20.02.2024
Victor Pinchuk Foundation hosted the public lecture “US Support for Ukraine - A Conversation with US Political Leaders”
On 19 February 2024, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation hosted the public lecture “US Support for Ukraine - A Conversation with US Political Leaders” discussing the importance of US support for Ukraine and how the ongoing electoral process in the USA could affect this.
The key speakers of the event were Brian Fitzpatrick, U.S. House of Representatives and Michael R. Pompeo, 70th U.S. Secretary of State. Nataliya Gumenyuk, co-founder and CEO of the Public Interest Journalism Lab, moderated the discussion. Ukrainian leading opinion makers, experts, politicians, civil society and media representatives as well as Ukrainian students were among the participants of the event.
Taking the floor, Brian Fitzpatrick assured that the US Congress would continue supporting Ukraine: “We will continue supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes to make sure that it will achieve victory. This is not just a victory for Ukraine, this is a victory for world peace.”
“I can assure you that Ukraine will get the assistance that it needs. This is not just Ukraine’s fight, but it’s the world’s fight. Ukraine is on the frontlines of democracy,” he added.
“My only concern is not whether the supplemental for Ukraine will get passed, but how long it will take. Because we all realize the time-sensitivity of this issue. We understand that we have a very short window. We get that, and we are going to move quickly on it,” Brian Fitzpatrick stressed.
“The important question now is to convince our voters why it’s important to stay in the fight and stay by Ukraine’s side,” he added.
Michael Pompeo continued calling for abstaining from making premature predictions about the prospects for Ukraine’s support if Donald Trump wins the presidential election in 2024: “Don’t let the media deceive you. Let the reality set in. Let the reality of the Trump administration and its policy towards Ukraine suggest what the 2nd Trump administration could look like.” He stressed that Trump administration was the first to give defensive weapons to Ukraine.
“It was the Obama administration that was unable to deter Vladimir Putin from taking a fifth of your country. Meanwhile, it was the Trump administration that for four years deterred Vladimir Putin,” he stressed.
“I believe that you can count on the USA in terms of providing the infrastructure pieces to Ukraine that we are capable of providing for whatever time it takes for Ukraine to achieve an ultimate success,” he added.
Michael Pompeo also spoke about the importance of reforms’ implementation in Ukraine: “The things that you can do while we continue fighting against this barbarian Vladimir Putin is for Ukraine to demonstrate its willingness to stand up against corruption, create an independent judiciary, build up a national state that is sovereign and independent. I think that all those things will raise the Americans’ confidence that our support is absolutely worth it.”
Brian Fitzpatrick echoed this view and said: “Continue your path to reform. We want Ukraine to be in the NATO. We want Ukraine to be a part of the EU. Furthermore, we want to lead the charge in helping Ukraine to implement the Marshall Plan.”
“Keep enacting these reforms, even while you are in the battle with Russia, which we will help you win. But keep doing your part as civil servants and civil society to call out corruption in any form that exists. This is what’s going to be a game changer for Ukraine and help you become part of the West.”
Photos from the event are available here
