U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, is in central Ohio this weekend visiting her alma mater, Kenyon College.
Brink, a 1991 graduate of Kenyon College, will give a keynote speech on Saturday during the school’s bicentennial reunion. She plans to share a message about the importance of education.
“I like to joke that my career as a diplomat, working all over the world to support and advance U.S. interests and values, started in a small liberal arts school in the middle of Ohio,” Brink said. “I studied abroad. It opened my world as a young, Midwestern kid.”
Ahead of Memorial Day, Brink also wants to stress the importance of continuing to fight for freedom in Ukraine and other parts of the world. She said the freedom we have in the U.S. is something we should never take for granted.
“Because in most of the world, people don’t enjoy these same freedoms and they don’t enjoy these rights,” Brink said.
“The peace and stability of Europe is directly connected to the peace, stability and prosperity of the United States."- U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink
Brink arrived from Kyiv on Thursday night. The long trip involved a 12-hour train ride and multiple flights.
In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, Russians are dropping World War II era-bombs. Brink said they’re also attacking the country’s critical energy supply.
“What the Ukrainians and we, too, living there are dealing with are rolling blackouts that have just started recently and will likely continue through the summer and potentially get worse as cold weather arrives,” Brink said.
She said most parts of the country get about 12 hours of power a day, but electricity is even less reliable in some areas.
She knows the fighting in Ukraine has been underway for more than two years, but Brink said the U.S. must continue to offer its support.
“The peace and stability of Europe is directly connected to the peace, stability and prosperity of the United States,” Brink said.
She said Putin is threatening the largest land war since World War II.
“They question is, who’s next?” Brink asked.
“My belief is we don't stop Putin now, here, we are going to spend a lot more in terms of money and in terms of lives to stop him later."- U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink
She argues that Putin’s aim is not just to undermine Europe, but to weaken the United States as well. She said if Russia prevails in Ukraine, it will leave Russia “on the doorstep of NATO allies.”
“My belief is we don't stop Putin now, we are going to spend a lot more in terms of money and in terms of lives to stop him later,” Brink said.
Last month, Congress and President Joe Biden passed a roughly $61 billion aid package for Ukraine. Brink said that will help Ukraine with more air defense, better security, and weapons, but she said it also benefits the U.S. and Ohio specifically.
Half of the funding goes back to the U.S. for defense. That includes localized funding, like support for the Lima factory that manufactures Abrams tanks.
On Friday, the Department of Defense announced another security assistance package to Ukraine with an estimated value of $275 million. It includes ammunition, artillery rounds, missiles, anti-armor systems, mines, tactical vehicles and body armor.
