American Coalition for Ukraine

American Coalition for Ukraine (ACU) is a coalition of nearly 100 US organizations that advocate for US support of Ukraine's defense and sovereignty, as well as strengthening U.S. relations with Ukraine.^[1][2][3][4] It was established in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[5]

The founding members of the Coalition including US-based Ukrainian nonprofit organizations Razom for Ukraine, Ukrainian National Women's League of America, Nova Ukraine, Ukrainian American Coordinating Council, United Help Ukraine, and Klych. Non-Ukrainian founding members MedGlobal and the Georgian Association in the US demonstrate the diversity among US-based supporters of Ukraine. The Coalition includes as members a number of additional small and medium nonprofit organizations. The Board of Directors is the governing body of the Coalition.^[6]

The Coalition organizes Ukraine Action Summits in Washington, DC where elected officials meet their constituents to discuss legislative and operational topics related to Ukraine.^[6][7][8][9] Such meetings were acknowledged by US Senators Chuck Schumer,^[10] Alex Padilla^[11] and Bob Menendez,^[12] as well as Representatives Steny Hoyer^[13] and Joseph Morelle.^[14] The table below summarizes statistics for the Summits, including the number of constituents registered to attend, the number of US states they represented, and the number of congressional meetings they held including drop-in meetings.^[6]

Early Ukraine Action Summits were primarily organized by Razom for Ukraine (a founding member of the Coalition) and facilitated the establishment of the ACU. The second Summit increased the number of participants^[3] and extended the program with networking opportunities, such as discussion panels with representatives of US nonprofits and government agencies, as well as advocacy activists. The Summit featured Viktor Yushchenko, the former President of Ukraine.^[15] The Georgian Association in the US joined the ACU, and members of the Georgian community started to attend Ukraine Action Summits.^[16] The third Summit further increased the number of attendees and the number of meetings on the Hill.^[4][17][18]

The fourth Ukraine Action Summit was held April 13-16, 2024. It marked an improvement in US State participation and saw a significant increase in the number of congressional meetings with constituents.^[19][20] Summit attendees conveyed to lawmakers a sense of urgency for providing Ukraine aid and clarified misunderstandings about accountability for U.S. aid to Ukraine.^[1] Their primary aim was persuading lawmakers to approve $61B in aid to Kyiv.^[2][3][4] The Congress passed relevant foreign assistance bills on April 20, 2024, quickly followed by the Senate and by the presidential approval.^[21][22]

The fifth Summit (September 22-24, 2024) was held in Washington, DC simultaneously with a United Nations General Assembly session in New York City and a visit by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the US. It focused on the continuation of military and humanitarian aid, and facilitating long-term cooperation between Ukraine and the United States.^[23] The Summit featured an address by Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) President Paul Grod^[24] and emphasized the need for collective efforts to support Ukraine during the challenging times.^[25] Immediately after the Summit, President Joe Biden issued a statement on support for Ukraine which provisioned for $7.9B in military assistance.^[26]