0:00 Parents live close to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
5:50 This is Ukraine’s 1776
13:45 Some history
22:19 What are your thoughts on President Zelenskyy
28:31 This is not Zelenskyy’s war. This is the people’s war
At a recent biotech conference, I met Ukrainian American Rostyslav Semikov. He agreed to come to Five O’Clock to talk about the war in his country, which he says is their “War of Independence, their 1776.”
Rostyslav’s parents live in Ukraine near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Not only are bombs dropping around them, but there could be a horrible nuclear accident.
“Every time we talk, they say we may not see you. And if something happens to us, we love you,” he says at the outset of today’s show.
What is the history of the cultures between Ukraine and Russia? Rostyslav says Russian President Vladimir Putin thought he would be welcome in Ukraine and overtake Kyiv within three days. Twenty-one months later, the war drags on.
This week, Congress included $200 million in aid as part of the annual defense bill. But the larger aid package of $110 billion to Ukraine and Israel has been stalled by Republicans. Are Americans growing weary of support? Rostyslav reminds us that the support of France turned the tide in the American War of Independence.
Rostyslav Semikov, MD: If someone from audience would want to contribute, there is a foundation that we set up to help Ukraine with medical supplies and expertise https://peacedevelopment.fund/
This Is Ukraine’s 1776: Rostyslav Semikov