ALA continues its steadfast support of Ukraine against the Russian invasion with a public letter to President Biden, a donation for humanitarian aid to Ukrainian war refugees in Latvia, and urging members and friends to voice their support.
In commemoration of the one-year anniversary of courage and valor that the Ukrainian people have shown against a brutal invasion by Russia, the American Latvian Association (ALA) continues its strong support of Ukraine to fully defeat Russian forces and regain peaceful sovereignty.
In a letter to President Biden, ALA calls for an acceleration of U.S. and allied support, to enable Ukraine to regain full territorial integrity and ultimately make the Baltics and Europe as a whole a safer place. “A Ukraine free of Russian forces is an inviolable prerequisite for any future peace between these two nations,” states ALA president, Mārtiņš Andersons. “With Russia’s military now materially weakened, Ukraine has the opportunity to defeat Russia decisively and thereby strengthen Europe’s long-term security.”
Many ALA members are themselves WWII refugees or their descendants of up to four generations in the United States, and thus empathize with the Ukrainian people in suffering the same atrocities that the Soviets committed in their invasion of Latvia. As a gesture of assistance, ALA has donated $5,000 for humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees in Latvia—in addition to the $16,000 that ALA donated last year.
Throughout the country this coming weekend (Feb. 24-26), Ukrainian Americans are organizing a range of rallies, candlelight vigils and other events to show public support for Ukraine, as well as remember those who have fought valiantly against the invading war criminals. Through its Baltic Call to Action UNIT email group, ALA has alerted Baltic Americans in 10 cities across the country to participate in these events and make their voices of support heard by elected representatives and by fellow Americans.