A “Marshall Plan” for Ukraine, Ambassador visits Ukrainian Center, seeks support

“At first, it seemed surreal. Was this really happening? At some point, you accept this as your new reality.” Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., told of how she copes with the war in her country at a Nov. 30 gathering at the Ukrainian American Community Center (UACC), 301 Main St. NE. Her hometown, Bucha, was flattened by the Russians in 2022.

Markarova was in Minnesota for the kickoff of a multistate tour promoting a “Marshall Plan” for Ukraine. Accompanying her were Heather Conley, president of the German Marshall Fund, and Howard Buffett, president of the Howard Buffett Foundation.

Also present were four Ukrainian soldiers, guests of the Protez Foundation, which had supplied them with new prosthetic limbs.

The purpose of the visit was to engender continued support for Ukraine among the American people, as support in Congress appears to be wavering. 

“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does create a pattern,” noted Buffett, a Nebraska farmer whose foundation invests in global food security, conflict mitigation and efforts to stop human trafficking. “It’s easy to see how this [war] could become World War III. If Ukraine doesn’t win, the front lines will change. We don’t know what Putin will do. He could go after Poland or the Balkans.” If that happens, Buffett said, the U.S. will have no choice but to join its NATO allies in war. “We can’t take our good friends for the last 70 years and abandon them.”

He urged listeners to continue to press Congress for military support for Ukraine, including providing air support. “They must beat Russia, 100%.”

Said Markarova, “Ukraine was never a threat to Russia. It was only when we wanted to have a chance to be European that Russia attacked us.” She said peace and freedom have been in Ukrainians’ genes dating back to the late 900s, when the
Kyivan Rus people first settled the area. “If we allow Ukraine to fall,” she asked, “how can we say that freedom is sacred to us?”

She said Ukraine must get back to being self-sustaining, and its farmers back to tilling their land, which has been heavily mined.

The morning wasn’t entirely devoted to asking for military support. Conley said efforts are underway to support the rebuilding of Ukraine. Her organization is promoting a “Marshall Plan” for Ukraine. 

After World War II, the U. S. government invested $13 billion in a European recovery program, led by Secretary of State George C. Marshall. In less than four years, according to a booklet distributed by the German Marshall Fund, growth in Western European countries was 35% higher than prewar levels. The original Marshall Plan helped them stabilize and modernize their economies.

In 2022, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for a similar plan for rebuilding Ukraine. Instead of a U.S.-led effort, however, it would be global task. The European Union would create a RecoverUkraine platform for international donor coordination.

The Ukrainian government estimates it will take ten years and more than $750 billion to put the country back on track. By the end of this year, 55% of Ukrainians will be living in poverty, compared to just 2.5% before Russia’s invasion.

The morning also provided local Ukrainians an opportunity to educate their visitors on local efforts to support Ukraine.

UACC President Paul Jablonsky said the Ukrainian Center has evolved from being focused on preserving Ukrainian culture to providing humanitarian aid, sorting 10 metric tons of medical supplies behind the center’s stage during the past two years.

“We’ve held 12 rallies, 60 events and enlisted 90 volunteers from medical supply companies,” he said. The organization has also shipped 7,200 handwarmers, 40,000 uniforms, 21 vehicles for medical evacuation use, body armor for 500 soldiers and other supplies to the beleaguered country. They have supplied 10,000 hemostatic gauges, helping to stanch bleeding on the front lines. Thirty of the organization’s youth have gone door to door, placing Stand With Ukraine posters in storefronts. 

Money for these activities came from Stand With Ukraine MN. As of mid-March 2023, the humanitarian agency had received more than $820,000 in donations and disbursed more than  $705,000.

UACC has also become a support service for refugees who come to Minnesota. Led by Iryna Petrus, the center has conducted more than 1,000 Friday night seminars about life in Minnesota and the U.S., offered job coaching and taught bicycle riding classes so people can get to work. She noted that federal funding for refugees has dried up, and Ukrainians are not eligible for food stamps.

In 2024, UACC plans to bolster community involvement in supporting Ukraine and hopes to establish direct connections between Minnesota hospitals and those in Ukraine.

Dr. Yakov Gradinar, co-founder of the Protez Foundation, shared how his organization helps rehabilitate Ukrainian soldiers who have lost arms and legs during the war. An orthopedic surgeon, he came to America from Ukraine 17 years ago. Finding it too difficult to get licensed in the U.S., he decided to put his talents to use developing prostheses and making them more affordable.

In the past two years, his organization has provided 340 prosthetic devices to 120 soldiers, three to children and three to civilians; arranged for six surgeries; trained 42 rehabilitation specialists and set up two clinics. “We’re showing these soldiers it’s possible to live again after trauma,” he said. 

He told of one soldier who was hit with a high-impact bomb. He lost limbs on one side of his body and was paralyzed on the other. He had shrapnel in his spine. He had to wait for two months to get help.

With rehab specialists returning to Ukraine, “Soldiers don’t need to wait for two months to get help,” he said. “The specialists are getting to the front lines and wounded soldiers back for treatment.”

Markarova reiterated her plea for continued support for her country, then walked over to converse quietly with the Ukrainian soldiers before heading to a meeting with Gov. Tim Walz.