Inslee and Governor of Kyiv Oblast sign Sister State Agreement
Washington continued to show its support for Ukraine amidst the Russian invasion, becoming the first state to commit to a Sister State Agreement with a region in Ukraine.
Kyiv Oblast Gov. Ruslan Kravchenko joined Gov. Jay Inslee in signing the agreement to engage in academic and economic exchanges between Washington and the Kyiv region, home to Ukraine’s capital.
“This is what Washington does because we recognize courage and heroism, and certainly we have seen that so much for Ukraine,” Inslee said before a room full of people in Tacoma City Hall on Friday.
More than 50 people attended the event, with many wearing blue and gold, the national colors of Ukraine. People also sported pins of either the American and Ukrainian flag intertwined or the Washington state and Kyiv flag intertwined.
Inslee said the agreement “is very much in keeping with where Washingtonians’ hearts are, as it builds upon the state’s previous efforts to support Ukraine.”
Washington donated about 30 tons of medical equipment within weeks of the Russian invasion, Inslee said, in addition to the 3,500 water filters delivered just before the Kakhovka Dam was destroyed, contaminating much of the water. State employees also raised some $146,000 for Ukraine.
While Russia occupied the Kyiv region, located in north-central Ukraine, in February 2022, they killed at least 1,600 residents, damaged 227 schools and 24,000 homes, and stole material from the Chernobyl nuclear plant. Ukraine won back the region a month later.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Kravchenko as head of the Regional State Administration in April 2023, a year after Russia’s initial push toward the Ukrainian capital. Since the invasion, Washington has become home to more than 25,000 Ukrainian refugees.
The agreement also provides Washington an enormous economic opportunity as businesses across the state are ready to provide goods and services to Ukraine while they begin to rebuild their country, Inslee said.
He noted that safe boats are waiting to help the Ukrainian Navy as soon as they can be shipped out.
Kravchenko said he represents an “unbreakable nation,” while expressing gratitude to Inslee, all Washingtonians and the greater United States for their support. He placed a large emphasis on thanking the Ukrainian military as well.
“They were the first ones to stand in defense of our country, and because of them I can live,” Kravchenko said through a translator.
Kravchenko then presented Inslee with a small metal tin adorned with a vibrant image of a park in Kyiv, meant to symbolize life before the Russian invasion. Inside the tin he pulled out a sharp metal piece, commonly extracted from the bodies of wounded or dead people during the invasion, which represents “what is remaining,” he said.
Kravchenko hopes that tin will go to a museum in Washington so that for generations to come, people will remember what happened to Ukraine.
“Our president said many times that victory cannot be individual or by one person. And that is true,” he said. “We will achieve victory together with our partners.”
Before the agreement, the city of Tacoma set in stone a Sister Cities agreement with Brovary, Ukraine, though the long-term partnership between the two cities began in 2017.
Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards said the relationship between the cities isn’t one of diplomatic ties, but instead “a heartfelt connection for us to share values, cultural exchanges and mutual respect.”
“Our cities, despite their geographical distance, share a commitment to fostering innovation, promoting education and embracing diversity,” Woodards said.
She then recognized Stan Chain, president of the Tacoma-Brovary Sister City Council, for his unwavering commitment to people in both cities and immense dedication to Brovary. She pointed out that when the Tacoma Fire Department delivered a surplus ambulance to Brovary in 2019, Chain met the vehicle in Germany and drove it into his native country.
After the governors had officially signed the agreement, the crowd broke into a “happy birthday” chorus for Kravchenko on his 34th birthday.
The Kyiv Region joins five other sister state and friendship agreements between Washington and other states including Pangasinan, Republic of the Philippines, and Jalisco, Mexico.