A group of Ukrainian university students from Kyiv visited the Pentagon earlier this week to learn more about the U.S. Defense Department and gain insight into how Washington provides support for Ukraine’s defense against Russia.
That’s according to the DoD press service, Ukrinform reports.
During the visit, the students toured the Pentagon, visited the 9/11 Memorial, and met with Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia.
During her time with the students, Cooper discussed, among other topics, the importance of equipping Ukraine to defend itself, the strength of the bilateral relationship with Ukraine that existed even before the war began, and how military assistance is provided to Ukraine though both presidential drawdown authority and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
Cooper also told the students that young Ukrainians can help their country by spreading the word about what is happening there. She said while much of the world is aware of Russia’s invasion, messaging from young people actually in Ukraine is critical for generating international support.
The eleven students, all studying either business or information technology, are part of an internship program with a variety of private sector companies within the United States this summer.
“These are student interns from American University Kyiv [who] have come to the United States through sponsorships with corporate America,” said Daniel Rice, president of American University Kyiv. “We have eight different companies that have given internships to these students. The companies pay for the flights, the hotels, the J-1 visa, and a salary for the summer. They’re getting real work experience. It’s really a great cultural exchange, both for the Americans that are receiving them and for the students.”
At a briefing with the House Foreign Relations Committee, Rice said students learned more about how the U.S. is supporting the war effort in Ukraine and considerations for that, including military, political, economic, cultural and religious factors.
Rice said he considers the students to be “informal ambassadors” from Ukraine, adding he believes they are “very grateful for American support”.