The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), the largest
representation of Americans of Ukrainian descent, has sent urgent
letters of appeal to the co-Chairs of the Congressional Ukrainian
Caucus, the Senate Ukraine Caucus, the House Foreign Affairs Committee
and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, requesting they “hold
congressional hearings about Russia’s blatant use of force against
Ukraine.”
Explaining that while the Ukrainian-American community is
grateful for the many “recent statements and stalwart support for
Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence,” from
leaders in Congress, UCCA’s letter underscores that Ukraine stands at “a
watershed moment in its history.” In explaining the urgency of the
letter, UCCA President, Andriy Futey, highlighted the plight of the 24 Ukrainian sailors who are currently being held in Russian captivity, a move that violates International Maritime Conventions. “We must take every available measure to secure their immediate release,” stated Mr. Futey.
At the same time, UCCA forwarded an open letter to U.S. Secretary of
State, Mike Pompeo, as he departed to Brussels, Belgium, to attend the
semi-annual meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers. Echoing UCCA’s previous
statements condemning Russia’s premeditated and deliberate act of
aggression against Ukraine on November 25, 2018, the letter to Secretary
Pompeo requests that he propose a collective call by NATO member states
for the immediate return to Ukraine of the captured Ukrainian warships
and military personnel.
The letter goes on to reference the stalled NATO Black Sea Action Plan in the planning since the 2016 NATO Warsaw Summit, which proposed to “substantially increase in NATO’s presence and maritime activity” in the Black Sea. Following on Senator John Barasso’s call to action on Meet the Press, UCCA’s letter also asks the Summit leaders to consider “the immediate deployment of naval vessels from NATO member states to Ukrainian and NATO ally ports in the Black Sea.”
As the bastion of democracy in the free world, the United States bears a
moral obligation to take the lead in promoting international norms,
defending basic human rights and freedoms, and charting a course of
geopolitical stability. The Ukrainian-American community believes that
the national security interests of the United States lie in the
fulfillment of that obligation.
Click here to review the letter submitted to Congressional leaders.
Click here to review the letter submitted to Secretary Pompeo
Source: UCCA
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