Ukrainian ambassador urges Minnesota to remember Ukraine on tour of U.S.

Inside a gym-turned-medical supply room at the Ukrainian American Community Center in Minneapolis, stacked high with bags of tourniquets and wound treatment kits, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States urged Americans not to forget about her country’s struggle.

Ambassador Oksana Markarova’s visit Thursday to Minnesota was the first of a 10-state tour, primarily of the Midwest, to encourage community dialogue about the war and bolster support for Ukraine. Called Whistlestops for Ukraine, the tour is hosted by the think tank German Marshall Fund of the United States and the philanthropic Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

“We can win this one. It is very difficult … we are fighting this fight every day, there are a barrage of missiles and drones on peaceful cities every day,” Markarova told the crowd of about 50 people, including several injured Ukrainian soldiers. “But we will stay the course. We need you, our friends, to stay the course with us.”

The war in Ukraine broke out in February 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine that has left tens of thousands of civilians dead and millions of people displaced.

The ambassador was joined by Howard G. Buffett, head of the philanthropic organization, and Heather Conley of the Marshall Fund for the event that focused on the importance of continuing to support Ukraine against Russian aggression.

Other stops on Markarova’s tour of Minnesota included an agribusiness discussion at the Minneapolis Foundation, a visit to the Capitol with state Senate President Bobby Joe Champion, a meeting with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a trip to the Minnesota Farmers Union with Gov. Tim Walz and a visit to the Protez Foundation in Oakdale.