In Chicago, Ukrainian prime minister seeks urgent military aid from Congress, Illinois investment

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal joined Gov. J.B. Pritzker and White House Ukrainian envoy Penny Pritzker in Chicago on Tuesday to help encourage American investment in Ukraine while continuing to apply pressure on Congress to send more emergency aid to the war-torn country.

Shmyhal said Russia is capitalizing on the lack of American aid to Ukraine, forcing his country’s forces to ration their resources. The prime minister said that four weeks ago he witnessed Ukrainian soldiers using just one to five artillery shells per day along a 20-kilometer stretch of the front lines, while Russians continued to use hundreds of artillery shells per day.

“We deter them, but without revenue it is impossible. So we need this support as fast as possible,” Shmyhal said. “We are very looking for United States support in this unprovoked, illegal Russian aggression.”

U.S House Speaker Mike Johnson this week said he is pushing for an emergency foreign aid package that separates support for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan — as well as humanitarian assistance for Gaza — into four separate bills. House Democratic leaders have signaled support, but on Tuesday wanted assurances that all components of a previously approved Senate bill were included.

Alongside Penny Pritzker, President Joe Biden’s special representative for Ukraine’s economic recovery, Shmyhal first met with Chicago business leaders, including Invenergy CEO Michael Polsky and Clayco founder Bob Clark to stress the importance of American investment in Ukraine.

At a Loop news conference after the meeting, Shmyhal said it is crucial for Ukraine to attract U.S. investment — specifically in the energy sector.

“They really need it [economic investment] to survive, to rebuild, to grow,” Shmyhal said. “Today, the government of Ukraine is paying special attention to finding practical ways to insure business against war risks, increase our budget revenues and reduce our dependence on external financial assistance.”

Shmyhal also stressed the importance of providing Ukraine with additional air defense systems, which he said would help protect civilian infrastructure from Russian aggression.

“We are paying special attention to the development of cooperation with American arms and ammunition manufacturers. Both Ukraine and [the] United States are equally interested in creating as many production facilities in Ukraine as possible that will serve and produce Western weapons,” Shmyhal said. “In this way, we will increase the defense capabilities of the European Union and speed up Ukraine’s accession to NATO.”

Later, the prime minister met behind closed doors with the governor and Penny Pritzker for a 30-minute meeting about what Illinois can do to help Ukraine’s economic recovery and how to help pressure Congress to send more aid.

The Illinois National Guard was deployed to Poland to assist Ukrainian families who are seeking refuge, and the Illinois State Police has sent thousands of pieces of protective equipment, including body armor, ballistic face shields, and ballistic helmets. Gov. Pritzker, Penny Pritzker’s brother, also signed legislation that divested all pension funds from Russian-held banks and companies.

“It’s now up to Congress to take action,” Gov. Pritzker told reporters after the meeting. “Fully half of the congressional Republicans lack the courage and moral fortitude to stand up for our allies in Ukraine. I’m talking about the congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. Now is the time for the American people to speak up and tell Congress to reaffirm our nation’s support for democracy by supporting Ukraine’s fight for freedom.”

Penny Pritzker said Ukraine is at an inflection point, with Russian President Vladimir Putin targeting energy infrastructure and conducting daily missile attacks.

“His aggression will not stop at Ukraine’s border, and we cannot let him succeed,” said Penny Pritzker. “We must first do whatever we can to get Congress to pass the supplemental, which is critical for Ukraine to win the war. It is now clear that part of Putin’s worst strategy is also to destroy Ukraine’s economy, and we cannot let him succeed.”

Penny Pritzker noted that Nicholas Pritzker, grandfather to both the governor and her, fled Kyiv 140 years ago to escape Jewish persecution at the time. He became a pharmacist and then a lawyer, and raised his family in Chicago.

The prime minister called the reconstruction of Ukraine the largest global project since the end of World War II — with the heavy task of reconstructing more than 250,000 residential buildings, 3,800 schools and 1,500 medical facilities that have been destroyed.

“This initiative can be undertaken not only by states and international institutions, but also by cities and communities,” Shmyhal said. “I hope that Chicago and other communities in Illinois will express a desire to support and ... patronize our Ukrainian cities affected by the war. This will be another important display of your solidarity.”