Speeches Shim
The U.S. Government’s partnership with the people of Ukraine is steadfast and enduring, and USAID remains committed to supporting Ukraine and its people in this current crisis. We have worked closely with Ukraine, our European allies, and humanitarian assistance partners to prepare for the emergency that this war has caused and meet immediate and growing humanitarian needs.
USAID deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team—our nation’s finest humanitarian responders—to the region to support the Ukrainian people as they flee Russia’s aggression and to rapidly address critical needs that arise due to ongoing conflict. We have already responded to a range of needs in the lead-up to the invasion, from energy security to countering disinformation to cybersecurity support as Russia attempts to disrupt critical infrastructure and communications. We will continue to assess and ramp up access to primary and trauma medical care, food, and clean water. USAID is also working closely with the U.S. State Department to support Ukrainians fleeing to neighboring countries.
Last updated: April 12, 2022
Today in Poland, Administrator Power met with Witold Dzielski, Advisor to the President of Poland, to discuss joint efforts to respond to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine. Administrator Power emphasized the partnership between the United States and Poland in meeting the needs of the increasing flow of Ukrainians across the border.
Today, Administrator Power met with members of the Ukrainian American Community to convey the United States’ continued commitment to the Ukrainian people in the face of Russian aggression and violence, and to hear from them directly about their concerns and ways to collaborate to assist Ukranians in need.
Administrator Samantha Power will travel to Poland and Belgium on February 26-28 to discuss the U.S. government’s coordinated response with allies and partners to respond to Russia’s premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified invasion of Ukraine. Sarah Charles, USAID Assistant to the Administrator for the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, and Nancy Izzo Jackson, Senior Bureau Official for the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, which leads the U.S. refugee response, will also join the trip.
On February 24, 2022, Administrator Power met with Harjit Sajjan, Minister of International Development of Canada. They discussed Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, and Administrator Power reiterated USAID’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Turning to humanitarian efforts to respond to the needs of the Ukrainian people, Administrator Power highlighted USAID’s deployment of a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to the region to lead U.S. relief efforts. She also noted that USAID has shifted its development programming to ramp up responses to cyber attacks, disinformation, threats to the energy sector, essential health needs, and the continued functioning of local and national government entities.
After months of relentless diplomacy in which the United States, Ukraine and our allies engaged with Russia in good faith to avoid further conflict, President Putin has shown he is not interested in peace, but only in power—in invading a neighbor in a premeditated and unprovoked attack, carving up sovereign territory by force, and denying the Ukrainian people the right to live in peace and and determine their own future. He has gone so far as to suggest Ukraine has no ability to exist as a nation separate from Russia, and baselessly and debasingly invoked claims of genocide to create a pretext for this war of choice—a war for which Russia is entirely responsible.
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