Cooper, other governors, hold call with Ukraine's Zelensky
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and other U.S. governors held a video call Tuesday morning with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose country remains under Russian siege.
“It was just a call to thank each other,” Cooper said. “It’s good for him to hear from governors, and it’s good for us to hear from him. He’s such a strong leader for Ukraine.”
The call was bipartisan and organized through the National Governors Association. The U.S. government has spent billions to aid the war effort in Ukraine, and individual states and the organizations based in them are involved in many ways. Cooper said Zelensky didn’t ask for anything new.
“He appreciated the continued support from the United States and how critical it was,” Cooper said. “And he knows that governors often advocate for budgets and … individual states are in tune with things to help the people of Ukraine.”
Cooper said troops from North Carolina military bases have helped train Ukrainian forces. There’s a doctor-training program here in the Triangle and various nonprofits, including Cooper’s church, he said, are helping refugees in Poland as well as in North Carolina.
Moldova, which also borders Ukraine, has a long-standing relationship with North Carolina state government through the N.C. Secretary of State’s Office.
“It’s important for Americans to pull tougher to support Ukraine in all the ways that we can,” Cooper said. “I mean, they are standing up for Democracy and sending a message these dictatorships all over the world that democratic countries aren’t going to stand for it.”
The National Governors Association excerpted some of Zelensky's remarks in a news release.
“When asking why America should help Ukraine and invest in our defense, the answer is: Just look at reality," Zelensky said, according to the release. "Millions of Ukrainian families are torn by the war. This is what the evil state has brought to Ukraine. And what if all this spreads further across Europe, through the cities and lands of your allies?"
Zelensky also said Ukriane is "able to defeat Russia on our land" and asked for continued support. He said the eventual reconstruction of Ukraine "will be the largest economic project in Europe in the lifetime of several generations."
"And I believe America will stand with us in this reconstruction just like you are with us now in our defense," he said, according to the summary. "Hundreds and hundreds of American companies, banks and factories are already doing business with Ukraine. Thousands of companies will join our reconstruction project.
Cooper discussed the call during Tuesday's Council of State’s meeting, which started half an hour later to make time for the Zelensky video call. The Council of State is made up of the 10 statewide elected officials in North Carolina government, including the governor.
