‘The local is now all global’: Grand Rapids encouraged to promote local advocacy in foreign policy

Ukrainian flag | Susan J. Demas

As Russia’s full-scale invasion in Ukraine continues into the end of its third year, leaders gathered in Grand Rapids this week, both virtually and in-person, to discuss the need for community collaboration with people embroiled in global conflicts.

The German Marshall Fund, a nonpartisan think tank focused on cooperation between North America and the European Union, spearheaded the events. The organization has hosted stops in five other U.S. cities to promote local involvement in facilitating peace and recovery in Ukraine.

“The local is now all global,” Heather Conley, the president of the German Marshall Fund, said to the Advance on Wednesday. “Our job, our church, our community, our sports, whatever, it’s all international. So don’t lean out of it. Lean into it.”

“I see in Grand Rapids a lot of leaning in, but they don’t understand how important they are to America’s foreign policy, our national security, our prosperity, [they have a] very, huge role to play. I just want them to shout about it a little bit more and have Washington pay attention to it a little bit more.”

The conversations centered around U.S. alliances with Ukraine. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, beginning the escalation of military conflict in the eastern European country.

Since the escalation, U.S. lawmakers have appropriated billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine to support the government and its military operations. This year, GOP lawmakers blocked funding in February before Congress worked out a deal to send $60 billion to Ukraine in April.

Conley said this aid helps Ukrainian people and the country’s military, but it also promotes democracy and allyship throughout Europe. But she told a group of local veterans in Grand Rapids at the last event of the day that “we haven’t given them enough to win.”

Grand Rapids can play a role in promoting support for Ukraine by not forgetting about the conflict and expressing support for aid to community organizations and the local, state and federal governments, Conley said.

On the national stage the next day, President Joe Biden also highlighted the need for global allies after working out a deal with the Kremlin and several other European countries holding Russian prisoners to release U.S. hostages in Russia, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Michigander Paul Whelan .

“The deal that made this possible was a feat of diplomacy and friendship — friendship,” Biden said. “ Multiple countries helped get this done.  They joined a difficult, complex negotiations at my request.”

While the Biden administration has shown support for Ukraine, there’s uncertainty whether that will continue after the November election.

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, said he could end the war before inauguration day during the June presidential debate (which Conley said is impossible). At a February rally this year, he also said he would encourage Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” to NATO countries who did not meet funding requirements.

And he was impeached in 2019 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress after pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for “a favor” to investigate Biden, while withholding $400 million in military aid. Trump was impeached a second time in 2021 for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Additionally, Trump’s vice presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), has questioned Ukrainian aid and has promoted the “America First” ideal that European allies should primarily provide aid.

“We have two stark visions of America and its role in the world, one that is isolationist, angry and believes our allies are only a drain on the United States,” Conley said to the Advance . “To another vision, which says allies are central. And now it’s not that we always agree with our allies. We sure don’t. But working together with them in a world that’s becoming more dangerous is really important.”

But Justin Menkveld, who is on the board of directors of Grand Rapids Sister City International, told the Advance that he thinks either presidential candidate would support Ukraine, regardless of campaign rhetoric. During the June debate, Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s current deal is not acceptable.

Grand Rapids is a “friendship city” with Dnipro, a city in Ukraine along a major river with the same name. The city has been hit with air strikes by Russia since the war’s escalation, and it has taken in thousands of displaced Ukrainian residents from the eastern border since the war began in 2014.

Grand Rapids established its relationship with Dnipro in January 2023, with a plan to facilitate the exchange of culture and consumerism between the two communities.

“The city of Grand Rapids has taken a very bold and much necessary decision to support the city which has received so much damage in the last two years and which plays such a critical role for Ukraine’s economy and well being, so thank you all for being with us,” said Kateryna Smaglily, a diplomat at the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States.

Anna Kovalenko, a founder of the Ukrainian Society of Michigan, which is based in Grand Rapids, compared the friendship city status between Dnipro and Grand Rapids to an engagement, where a sister city designation is a marriage. Grand Rapids indicated it would consider a sister city designation for Dnipro, which must be approved by the city council, after exploring the compatibility of the two communities.

While advocacy and knowledge about the war in Ukraine and the U.S. government’s role in supplying aid is an important role for citizens, local investment in Ukrainian communities is also vital, according to speakers.

There are around 5,000 Ukrainian people currently living in Grand Rapids and many of them are refugees, according to Kovalenko. Her work with the Ukrainian Society of Michigan focuses on helping Ukrainian immigrants in Grand Rapids adapt to living in the U.S., like helping them navigate the health care system and finding transportation. The organization also tries to promote Ukrainian culture within Michigan.

Later on in the day, Conley answered questions from U.S. veterans about the war in Ukraine. The attendees discussed how they could raise funding for local organizations or send letters to people living in Ukraine for moral support.

“The only way we protect the United States is that we unify, and we hold tight with our allies, and we’ve got this, but it takes a conversation,” Conley said. “It takes that explanation.”

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