Ukraine wants to do business with Georgia, but war-torn nation needs our help
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, images of destroyed cities and displaced families dominated global news.
More than three years later, much of the world turned its attention elsewhere. But in Ukraine, the war continues.
Seeing the destruction of Ukraine made my heart sink. I have visited the country and fallen in love with its beauty and the friendliness of its people.
Since the start of the war, I have had the honor of bringing humanitarian relief and medical supplies to the country.
These continued efforts have grown into HelpingUkraine.US, a volunteer-driven initiative based in metro Atlanta.
Ukraine trip focused on economic development and humanitarian efforts
Our work also necessitates additional trips to the region, the most recent of which occurred in June. The trip included visits with community leaders, government officials, city mayors, aid workers, activists and leaders in technological advancements and the rebuilding process, from a high-tech hub to a city hospital.
Although our trip was focused on economic development, we were able to meet with our HelpingUkraine.US partners in the evenings. Isn’t it remarkable that our humanitarian efforts have also led to introductions with technology companies interested in doing business in Georgia?
We walked the grounds of Ukraine’s leading Innovation Park. We spent time in the U.S. Embassy’s Commercial Services Division. We visited the Superhumans Rehabilitation Center in Lviv, where doctors and therapists provide prosthetics for people with lost limbs.
We visited the mayor of Lviv, a tech startup school and the Port Lviv Logistics Center. We met with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in a Kyiv bomb shelter while air raid sirens blared overhead.
Three things Ukrainian businesses need to succeed in Georgia and U.S.
Our mission was to meet with organizations working to bring Ukrainian manufacturing and innovation to the United States and Georgia. We hope that Ukrainian firms will use Georgia as a soft-landing site for their U.S. operations.
Many of the businesses we met with have three objectives:
- They need a reliable supply chain.
- They want to be in the United States free of tariffs.
- They want an international base for themselves and their families to function while the war continues.
These companies are led by executives with experience and capital. They know what they are doing, and we’re eager to help.
With support from Partnership Gwinnett, Curiosity Lab in Peachtree Corners, the Georgia Department of Economic Development and Georgia Tech, we are working to connect Ukrainian innovators with opportunities in metro Atlanta.
Our work in economic development has also focused on building new relationships for the future. We hope, for instance, to recruit 1,000 leaders from around the U.S. to visit Ukraine to learn ways to rebuild the region and create a mutually beneficial partnership within six months of the war’s end.
We are targeting city mayors, Rotary Club leaders, engineers, architects and prominent American media figures. We want them to build relationships with Ukrainian business leaders. We want them to see and experience Ukrainian culture in all its richness.
We want them to understand the impact of the war before the rubble and buildings are torn down and replaced. We want to ensure that the pain and destruction of this war is not forgotten.
United States must commit to providing security for Ukraine
While we are looking to build these partnerships and industry here in Atlanta, our work with HelpingUkraine.US has not slowed. We are now focused primarily on programs for children and have supported 15 trauma-informed camps and three daily development centers with bomb shelters, reaching more than 2,200.
The war has escalated in recent weeks, despite the attempt at peace talks. Over the past several months, Russia has sharply escalated the war, unleashing waves of missile and drone attacks that continue to terrorize Ukrainian cities and target vital infrastructure, even as peace negotiations falter. Even so, I believe that the region can find a way toward peace.
Whether in two weeks or next fall, the war will end, like the Korean War under Eisenhower. A line will be drawn, and the United States and Europe will have to help provide security and protection for Ukraine.
The efforts underway seem endless at times, and a spirit of hope is seen every week as we continue to communicate with our partners in Ukraine.
It is our human nature to want to help one another succeed and grow. It is in our nature to help support the courageous individuals in Ukraine who march on. Let’s hope that when this war does end, our ongoing visions and efforts will help rebuild Ukraine, bring new jobs to Atlanta, and help advance technologies.
Our personal relationships, vision, and hope can lead to a new and brighter tomorrow, even though things seem grim.
Emory Morsberger is the CEO of the Morsberger Group and the founder of HelpingUkraine.US. He has been a champion for new efforts to help Ukraine recover from the devastating war and continues to seek support for his ongoing work.
