During her visit to Washington, First Lady Olena Zelenska took part in the U.S.-Ukraine Partnership in Education and Science Conference, which focused on Ukrainian studies in the United States and ways to develop them.
"We want not only to preserve the territory, but also to safeguard civilization, development, science, and culture within it. That is why the educational partnership between Ukraine and the United States is so important," Olena Zelenska said in her speech.
The President's wife praised the longstanding tradition of studying the history and culture of Ukraine in the higher educational institutions of the United States. She also expressed hope that Crimean Tatar studies would also be added to Ukrainian studies.
"When people ask me how else they can help Ukraine – besides the very much-needed air defense systems – my answer is by spreading our culture and knowledge about us, our science, and our history, about the fact that we are not "a part of Russia," as it claims. Instead, Russia has appropriated hundreds of Ukrainian cultural contributions," the First Lady stressed.
The Conference resulted in the launch of the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies. It will bring together centers, academic programs, and research institutes for Ukrainian studies from around the world. The Coalition members will promote the opening of new Ukrainian studies, launch scholarship programs, and develop cooperation between higher educational institutions in the United States and Ukraine.
"Understanding Ukraine now means understanding the whole world better. After all, many Ukrainians have contributed to the world's science and culture, including American science and culture, from aircraft designer Igor Sikorsky to Nobel Prize-winning economist Simon Kuznets, or one of the prominent figures of Hollywood cinema, Louis Burt Mayer, who was born near Kyiv and founded the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer company in the United States," Olena Zelenska summarized.
The Conference also featured exhibits that demonstrated the consequences of Russian attacks on Ukrainian educational, cultural, and scientific institutions. In particular, burnt books from the Kharkiv printing house, which was hit by a Russian missile attack this May, and the exhibition Postcards from Ukraine.
