Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States is on a tour of Midwest states, to discuss the stakes in Ukraine’s battle with Russia. Ambassador Oksana Markarova said she was encouraged by conversations she had during her visit to the Iowa State Fair yesterday.
“So many people just said that they keep us in their prayers and there is nothing more I want to hear because this is what we need in this moment, you know, more prayers and more weapons,” Markarova said during an interview with Radio Iowa and The Gazette in Cedar Rapids.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022 and this past week thousands of Ukrainian troops have crossed into Russian territory. “We are the army that actually is holding the ground against Russia, which was supposed to be the second most powerful army on the globe,” she said.
Last week, the Pentagon announced the U.S. has provided $55.4 billion in military assistance to Ukraine in the past two and a half years. Markarova said the U.S. is Ukraine’s “number one strategic partner,” but Ukraine’s war time experience is of value to the U.S. as well as Europeans.
“We have now the largest battle tested army among all our of friends and allies,” Markarov said. “…The reason why we want to be members of the NATO is not for NATO to defend us, but for NATO to become stronger because we will have a lot to contribute to it.”
Markarova also met with Governor Reynolds, Des Moines city leaders and U.S. Senator Joni Ernst yesterday. Her trip was arranged by the German Marshall Fund, an organization that promotes alliances among the U.S. and European nations.