Author: Yaro Bihun

Events spotlight Ukraine’s role in the war and in today’s Europe WASHINGTON – The commemoration of the 70th anniversary of V-E Day, marking the end of World War II in Europe, drew tens of thousands of people to the National World War II Memorial at the National Mall here on Friday, May 8. The event...

WASHINGTON – The longest-serving Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, Olexander Motsyk, concluded his almost five-year assignment here and returned to Kyiv with his wife, Natalia Terletska, on April 25. Two days earlier, he was honored with a farewell reception at the Ukrainian Embassy, at which representatives of the U.S. government, Congress, think tanks and...

WASHINGTON – Three top Ukrainian government officials in charge of improving their country’s economy and its international economic relations spent four days in Washington in mid-April, meeting with leaders of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Finance Corporation, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, as well as officials at the...

WASHINGTON – Ambassador Olexander Motsyk, was honored here on April 16 with a “dinner of appreciation” organized by the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council at the conclusion of his five years of service as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States. The event, held in the Ritz-Carlton Guarisco Art Gallery, brought together more than 70 representatives of the...

WASHINGTON – Dr. Andrei Illarionov discussed President Vladimir Putin’s long preparation for Russia’s war with Ukraine April 7 at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington. An economic advisor to President Putin until 2005, Dr. Illarionov now is president of the Institute of Economic Analysis, an independent think tank in Moscow, and a senior fellow...

WASHINGTON – Ukraine Today, an Internet television news channel in the English language, was formally introduced here March 27 during a special presentation at the Embassy of Ukraine. The independent channel was launched in August 2014 with the primary intent of informing the worldwide English-speaking audience about Ukraine and the dire situation it has been...

WASHINGTON – As Ukrainians, and others, began arriving at the Taras Shevchenko monument here on the sunny afternoon of Saturday, March 21, they were taken aback at the first sight of the poet laureate’s statue. It was draped with a gigantic faux chain, from around his neck, surrounding his body and down to his feet....

WASHINGTON – Ukraine’s new minister of finance, Natalie Jaresko, came to Washington on March 16-17, seeking U.S. assistance in helping to get her country’s economy working normally during these very difficult and uncertain times for Ukraine. She discussed her government’s needs and plans for recovery with senior officials of the White House, the Treasury and...

WASHINGTON – Ukraine’s Ambassador to the U.S. Olexander Motsyk and a small group of his Embassy colleagues and Ukrainian Americans braved the rainy weather to honor Ukraine’s poet laureate Taras Shevchenko in front of his monument in Washington on March 10. The brief ceremony began with the ambassador speaking about Shevchenko’s significance to Ukraine, especially...

Stresses that Ukraine needs weapons now WASHINGTON – The vice-chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Andriy Parubiy, came to Washington during the last week of February in an effort to convince the United States that it can help his country resolve the conflict in its eastern regions with Russian separatists by providing the Ukrainian...

WASHINGTON – February was a cold and weary month in this capital city, especially for Ukrainian American, their minds immersed in the horrific events in eastern Ukraine. And while official and other visits, presentations, meetings and discussions continued to dominate local activists’ calendars here, several Ukrainian cultural events – concerts, art and photo exhibits –...

WASHINGTON – Mustafa Nayyem – journalist, democracy activist and member of Ukraine’s new Parliament – was honored with the 2014 Ion Ratiu Democracy Award for his efforts to establish a true democracy in Ukraine. The award was presented on February 12 here at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars during the 10th annual Ion...