KYIV, Ukraine — The McCain Institute at Arizona State University (ASU) earlier this month led a business delegation of executives and policy leaders on a trip to Kyiv and Lviv for meetings with senior Ukrainian officials, thought leaders, and NGOs. The trip included members of the McCain Institute’s Ukraine Business Alliance (UBA), which convenes senior executives from American and European technology and defense companies, U.S. and Ukrainian government and military leaders, and foreign policy experts to strategize innovative public-private partnerships to support Ukraine.
Following the conclusion of the trip, the McCain Institute penned a report outlining policy recommendations for encouraging more American and Western private sector support for Ukraine: “The U.S. government should further engage the private sector companies that already have working relationships and contracts with the Ukrainian government. Prioritizing relationship building with these companies will expand existing partnerships to expedite and scale the provision of services, including cybersecurity and defense technologies, to appropriate Ukrainian public and private sector entities.”
Below are the McCain Institute’s six policy recommendations regarding private-sector support for Ukraine.
The U.S. government should:
- Further engage the private sector companies that already have working relationships and contracts with the Ukrainian Government.
- Establish public-private partnerships with mission-driven firms with an eye toward reconstruction.
- Immediately prioritize Ukraine’s air defense systems given the anticipated increase of drone swarms and missile attacks this winter.
- Support proven, efficient, and cost-effective solutions for humanitarian demining of Ukraine’s territory.
- Protect Ukraine’s energy grid and critical infrastructure as both are crucial for attracting foreign investment.
- Modernize Ukraine’s government services by digitizing and updating policies on information security and cloud storage technologies.
Read the full McCain Institute trip report from Ukraine HERE.
About the McCain Institute at Arizona State University
The McCain Institute is a nonpartisan organization inspired by Senator John McCain and his family’s dedication to public service. We are part of Arizona State University and based in Washington, D.C. Our programs advance democracy and human rights, empower character-driven leaders, combat human trafficking, and prevent targeted violence. Our unique power to convene leaders across the global political spectrum enables us to make a real impact on the world’s most pressing challenges. Our goal is action, not talk, and like Senator McCain, we are fighting to create a free, safe, and just world for all.
About Arizona State University
Arizona State University has developed a new model for the American research university, creating an institution that is committed to access, excellence and impact. ASU measures itself by those it includes, not by those it excludes. As the prototype for a New American University, ASU pursues research that contributes to the public good, and ASU assumes major responsibility for the economic, social and cultural vitality of the communities that surround it.