A summit, dedicated to the second anniversary of the United24 fundraising platform, was held in Kyiv on May 23. The main idea is to unite the world around supporting Ukraine, its population, which for the third year now has been suffering from the Russian aggressor, its daily shelling and bombing. The platform is focused on protection of universal human values, and on practical, effective assistance to Ukraine in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
United24 is a platform initiated by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in May 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukrainian territory to raise funds in support of Ukraine. The main goal is to increase the volume of donations and ensure the efficiency and transparency of their distribution. The project allows everyone (both citizens of Ukraine and foreigners) to join in supporting Ukraine and providing real assistance to Ukrainians affected by Russian aggression. At the moment, there are 5 directions for people from more than a hundred countries to donate:
- defense and mine clearance,
- humanitarian and medical assistance,
- reconstruction,
- humanitarian demining,
- education and science.
The idea of the platform united ordinary people from all over the world, as well as politicians, public figures, actors, musicians, and athletes. UNITED24 raised 650 million US dollars in two years for Ukraine and united 110 countries, millions of people and companies. Voluntary contributions differ from each other: from a few dollars to millions. This made it possible to implement more than a hundred projects: create the world’s first fleet of maritime drones, purchase emergency vehicles and equipment for hospitals, restore residential buildings, build bridges and arrange shelters for children.
There are many famous people among the ambassadors of the platform: an actor Misha Collins; athletes Olexandr Usyk and Andriy Shevchenko; actress and singer Barbra Streisand; historian, Harvard professor Serhii Plokhiy; film director and actor Michel Hazanavicius; astronaut Scott Kelly; scientists, Nobel Prize laureates in physiology and medicine Edvard I. and May-Britt Moser and many others. These people realize that Russian aggression is dangerous not only for Ukraine, but also for European countries, NATO countries and the whole world. So it is necessary to join in supporting Ukraine, do everything possible to defeat the Kremlin aggressor before he begins to carry out his “black plans” further. United24 today is a huge community of people from Ukraine to North America, from Britain to Australia, from Japan to Latin America, India, absolutely all European countries.
The Russian aggressor, even on the day of the summit (on the occasion of the second anniversary of the UNITED24 platform) demonstrated to the whole world another act of its terror, attacking the Ukrainian Kharkiv and the region with 15 S-300 ballistic missiles. The Russians attacked a peaceful facility — the Factor Druk Printing House, one of the largest full-cycle printing complexes in Europe. As a result, at least 7 people were killed, 17 were injured, and more than 50 thousand books were burned. This Kremlin’s criminal act demonstrates that Russia is fighting against humanity and all aspects of normal life. Russian terrorists are killing adults and children, destroying cities and villages, using a tactic of scorched earth. The Kremlin’s regime continues to carry out its successful actions in the absence of sufficient air defense protection in Ukraine, which makes it impossible to destroy Russian launchers in the border areas between Ukraine and Russia. At the summit, the President of Ukraine once again reminded the world community that Russian terror must lose. It can be done only together, by the joint efforts of partner countries, the project ambassadors.
Two years have passed since the launch of UNITED24. This platform shows that Ukraine can unite global political leaders and states in providing various support: military, humanitarian, medical… Of course, issues related to the upcoming Global Peace Summit (to be held on June 15-16 in Switzerland with participation of more than 100 countries) and Zelenskyy’s 10-point Peace Plan (restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, withdrawal of Russian troops, release of all prisoners, Special Tribunal regarding the crime of Russia’s aggression, security guarantees for Ukraine, as well as radiation, nuclear, energy security, immediate protection of the environment) were not ignored. “It is very important to make this inaugural summit a success. We believe that it will be a significant step towards ending the war and restoring a just peace. Because we do not need just any kind of peace, we need a just peace,” the Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak said. After all, the “Peace Formula”, which will be considered at the summit, is based on international law and is capable of taming the Russian aggressor. The war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine concerns everyone in the world, since the Russians, without stopping shelling of the territory of Ukraine, thereby create global threats (environmental, food, nuclear…) to the whole world. Therefore, the Global Peace Summit is an important event not only for Ukraine, but also for global security in general. After all, Putin is not going to stop at Ukraine. He has far-reaching plans that threaten both Europe and the world. The peace summit will help to develop a joint peace roadmap that should stop Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine.