First Lady of Ukraine Speaks at GW

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Olena Zelenska, first lady of Ukraine, spoke to a capacity crowd at the George Washington University's Jack Morton Auditorium Tuesday, focusing on her educational mission to inform people about Ukraine's history and the global importance of its struggle for democracy against the ongoing Russian attacks.

The event was co-hosted by the Elliott School of International Affairsand the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. In welcoming remarks, Henry Hale, professor of political science and international affairs who is also director of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) and its Petrach Program on Ukraine, drew attention to the fact that Ukraine continues to suffer in the war launched by Russia four years ago. In the coming academic year, Hale said, GW will offer courses in Ukrainian history and politics.

Brief remarks were then delivered by Melanne Verveer, executive director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. Verveer was nominated by President Barack Obama in 2009 to serve as the first U.S. ambassador for global women's issues.

"The Ukrainian people have undertaken a struggle not only to preserve their own nation, but also to preserve the very idea of freedom and democracy," Verveer said, before introducing chef and humanitarian José Andrés, founder of the nonprofit World Central Kitchen (WCK), which provides meals and water to communities in disasters and conflict, as well as of GW's Global Food Institute(GFI). Andrés and WCK, she said, have served more than 295 million meals to Ukrainians during the war, and he was presented with the Ukrainian Order of Merit by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

After saying he was proud of the partnership of GFI and the Elliott School, which helps GW community members "engage with the biggest food-related challenges of our time," Andrés spoke of the first days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"We were all watching, and we were nervous," Andrés said. "But sometimes in moments of darkness, you look at light. And in that moment, we all began looking to the president and first lady of Ukraine. From the first minute, they showed us what courage really meant."

Zelenska then spoke in English for several minutes. She began by saying she was honored to speak at GW, "where generations of diplomats and leaders have been shaped."

College and university students, she said, are in "a period of life when a person thinks most about the future and aspires most strongly to justice. That is why students have always been a driving force for change." Students in Ukraine, she said, are enduring extraordinarily difficult conditions, "studying between air raid alerts" and spending nights in bomb shelters. They sometimes attend classes in buildings without electricity, heat or connection to the internet.

More than 80% of Ukrainians, she said, "experience chronic stress and anxiety," while psychology has become a popular field of study.

"This shows that young people are not only going through this experience, they are trying to understand it and help others."

She was pleased, she said, "to welcome George Washington University and Georgetown University to the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies. This initiative is not only about studying Ukraine. It is about understanding how a country resists authoritarianism."

A university, she said, "is not only a source of academic knowledge-it is a place where values are formed." She thanked students "for their interest in truth and justice" and told them, "Each of you is capable of making an impact." Ultimately, she said, "This is not only about knowledge, it is about responsibility."

She was then joined onstage by Alyssa Ayres, dean of the Elliott School, for an interview in which she answered in Ukrainian.

"How might a world better informed about Ukraine be different from the world that we see today?" Ayres asked.

Zelenska said she believes that if the world knew Ukraine better, it would have reacted faster when Russia invaded and annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014. She also spoke about Russia's attempt to deny Ukraine its own culture and of a fundamental difference between the two nations.

"We have a vision of our democratic future," she said. "Our neighbors do not have a similar vision. That is why we will win." At this moment and others, the audience broke into spontaneous applause.

Ayres then asked how she approaches her duties as first lady, and how her expectations have changed since assuming the role.

Zelenska responded that she realized early on that she couldn't simply play a decorative role on her husband's arm.

"While your husband or wife is working as a head of state, you also have the opportunity to do something for your country," she said.

Ayres concluded the interview by asking about Zelenska's work on mental health issues. The first lady said that, although the constant stress of war is causing psychological damage, many Ukrainians are still reluctant to face the stigma of seeking help.

To address this, thousands of Ukrainian doctors have been trained to recognize the physical signs of a nervous system that has been stressed to its limit. Children are being taught to ask for help if they need it, especially as parents may be reluctant to acknowledge a problem. To overcome the stigma among teens, help centers are being framed as social clubs.

"It is a very responsible thing to do to ask for help," Zelenska said. "This is not showing weakness."