In the context of the ongoing Russian military aggression, which has caused economic and humanitarian crisis in eastern Ukraine, the Embassy offered the leadership of Sister Cities International to launch a joint project to provide assistance for Ukrainian cities by their American counterparts.

Within the last year several U.S. cities, which have long-term partnerships with Ukrainian cities, initiated deliveries of humanitarian aid for the Ukrainian military and internally displaced persons (IDPs). However, active involvement of Sister Cities International in the process is expected to move the efforts of individual communities to the next level and attract new participants.

Leadership of Sister Cities International welcomed the idea of launching such an initiative. It was agreed that in the near future SCI would prepare a joint message to its members dedicated to the situation in Ukraine, the most urgent needs of the population affected by the conflict in the east and the possible modes of assistance from the American side. In the photo:

The practical implementation of the project will be coordinated by Sister Cities International in close cooperation with the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States, local governments of Ukraine and the United States, as well as authorities responsible for helping IDPs and the most vulnerable populations.

Reference: “Sister Cities International” was founded at President Eisenhower’s 1956 White House Conference on Citizen Diplomacy. The main objective of the organization is to promote peace, security and understanding through networking between cities worldwide, mutual acquaintance with the life, history and culture, strengthening cooperation and friendship between the people.

In the photo: President and CEO of Sister Cities International Mary Kane, Minister-Counselor for Economic Affairs Vitalii Tarasiuk and Vice-President of the organization Adam Kaplan