It looks like Ukraine wants to buy more weapons marked made in Alabama. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is at the G-seven summit in Canada. Published reports say Ukraine wants the U.S. Patriot Missile Defense system. That could be good news for Huntsville which makes the new version of the weapon. Alabama’s links to Ukraine will also be part of our new interview program called APR Notebook. Yaryna Zhurba of Huntsville still lives part time in Ukraine. She says the war has taken its toll on her family…
“My auntie son, he was 30 years old only he died in war, and her second son is now fighting on the east of Ukraine,” said Zhurba. “So it's you can't just forget it. It's something that changed us.”
Zhurba founded a company in Huntsville that sells jigsaw puzzles manufactured in Khakiv, Ukraine. They depict cultural landmarks damaged or destroyed in the war with Russia. The list includes the Antonov 225 cargo plane, which Guinness Book of World Records listed as the world’s biggest aircraft of its type. It was destroyed shortly after the start of the war. Part of the proceeds of puzzle sales goes to rebuild Ukraine. Zhurba says her nation wants to choose its own path after the war…
“Those who are alive, they like, feel obligated and very motivated to do own best to make Ukraine independent, successful countries that decides own path,” she said.
Zhurba is just one guest Alabama Public Radio has lined up for “APR Notebook,” which premieres on Friday June 27th at 7 pm.
President Ukraine's interest in bolstering his nation’s air defenses isn’t new. Earlier this month, the Associated Press reported how Zelenskyy wanted his Western backers to speed up deliveries of air defense systems to counter Russian missile strikes. He also wants them to help boost weapons production. President Zelenskky emphasized U.S.-made Patriot missile systems. The Ukraine Defense Contact Group was formed to help the country repel Russia's all-out invasion. But U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not attend, for the first time. His absence is the latest step that the Trump administration has taken to distance itself from Ukraine's war efforts. The meeting was chaired by the U.K. and Germany.
