US Army Europe and Africa Headquarters welcomes Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany, Ukrainian Consul General

Photo By David Overson | U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Andrew Rohling, Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Europe and Africa (left), meets with newly appointed Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany, Ambassador Oleksiy Makeev (center) and Mike Anderson, U.S. Army Europe and Africa Director of Government Relations, at U.S. Army Europe and Africa's headquarters in Wiesbaden, Germany, March 17, 2023. The purpose of the visit was to present the ambassador with current support operations and to tour the International Donor Coordination Center, also known as the IDCC. (U.S. Army courtesy photo)  

WIESBADEN, HE, GERMANY

03.23.2023

Courtesy Story

U.S. Army Europe and Africa     

WIESBADEN, Germany - The newly appointed Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany, Ambassador Oleksiy Makeev, and Ukrainian Consul General Vadym Kostiuk, visited U.S. Army Europe and Africa Headquarters March 17, 2023.

U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Andrew Rohling, Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Europe and Africa, hosted the three-hour visit, which involved an office call, a command briefing, a tour of the International Donor Coordination Center, also known as the IDCC, and a hosted lunch.

Makeev was very appreciative, noting that prior to the visit he thought the most important military headquarters that he should see to support his country was NATO’s. However, after visiting U.S. Army Europe and Africa, he now knows the importance of the U.S. Army’s support to Ukraine.

“Visits such as these are important, and we have proudly hosted a number of them over the past year, from national security advisors to members of Congress, to deputy ministers of defense, to NATO officials,” said Mike Anderson, U.S. Army Europe and Africa Director of Government Relations. “They help keep support to Ukraine prominent, and visibly convey the heft of the multinational effort to help Ukraine secure its sovereignty.”

Early in Makeev’s tenure on the job, he accompanied Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov to the Ramstein format, Ukraine Defense Contact Group. There he met with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, where he was invited to view the Bundeswehr training of Ukrainian soldiers on the Leopard 2 battle tanks at Munster Training Area, Germany, in February.

Makeev learned at the IDCC just how many nations are attempting to source Ukrainian requests for military assistance, and he was impressed by what he saw and heard. Equated what he saw there to a sort of “Amazon headquarters for defense materiel,” he said.

With requests coming from Ukraine, Makeev thanked the IDCC, the U.S. Army, and all allied and partner nations for the support all are providing.

He noted that with such Friends, he is convinced of an ultimate victory.

“To reach the 140 million people of Russia with the truth, it will require a massive western effort, on the scale of the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe programs that I used to eagerly listen to as a young boy in the Soviet Union,” Makeev said. “But that is for later, for now, I believe the West and Ukraine are doing the right thing, we’re focused on providing the proper equipment to win the war.”

• Date Taken: 03.23.2023
• Date Posted: 03.23.2023 07:20
• Story ID: 440999
• Location: WIESBADEN, HE, DE