Mayor Tim Kelly formalized a new partnership between the City of Chattanooga and Trostyanets, Ukraine Tuesday in a virtual signing ceremony beamed across the Atlantic ocean. Trostyanets Mayor Yurii Bova and Mayor Kelly were joined online by US and Ukraine Embassy officials, representatives from USAID, and senior leaders from both municipalities.
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“Chattanoogans lead with their values, and I’m proud to endorse this peer-city agreement with Trostyanets, led by their brave mayor, Yuri Bova,” said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. “Formalizing this agreement with Trostyanets will help us explore the best ways for the people of our respective cities to support and learn from each other, and I’m excited and proud to see this partnership move forward.”
Chattanooga residents Brad Cobb of Bowers Automotive Group and Daniel Wiens of iFixit will co-chair the Mayor’s 50-member working group, which has already met to organize and is preparing to collaborate with its Ukrainian counterparts. The group, which includes Chattanooga area residents with a broad range of skillsets, from architects to artists, will determine the best way to apply their talents to supporting Trostyanets. Several have already visited Ukraine to help rebuild, and their experience will be invaluable to ensuring that the group deploys its resources wisely.
“This is an exciting opportunity for cultural exchange with the resilient people of Trostyanets. In addition to supporting their reconstruction efforts, we can develop a powerful long term friendship and bond with our new partners,” said Daniel Wiens.
“After having volunteered as a relief worker in Ukraine three times since the war started, I have developed a massive love and respect for the Ukrainian citizens as their spirit and will to defend their country is nothing short of amazing. I have learned that while we cannot help, feed, love and support everyone that’s suffering, we can help one person, or one family, or one village, or one city at a time, To me, this is the main reason this partnership is so special, we can help the citizens of Trostyanets through this incredibly tough time. The passion and support from our working group was a testament to the generosity and kindness that defines Chattanooga,” said Brad Cobb.
No city funds have been allocated as part of this agreement between Chattanooga and Trostyanets, but the collaboration is expected to ultimately enrich and benefit both communities.
Background:
The Ukrainian city of Trostyanets survived 31 days of Russian occupation and is struggling to recover from the effects of the ongoing Russian invasion. Mayor Kelly’s working group is a volunteer committee of Chattanoogans sympathetic to the plight of Trostyanets and the Ukraine and who are seeking a way to help. The city’s telecommunications infrastructure and hospital were both badly damaged in the Russian attacks and Mayor Kelly’s hope is to help connect Trostyanets with useful technical expertise and assistance as they seek to rebuild. Mayor Kelly met Mayor Bova at the 2023 Cities Summit of the Americas in April, when five Ukrainian mayors came seeking help from their American counterparts, and both mayors resolved to explore relations between the two cities consistent with Chattanooga’s other existing sister city relationships.
“The cities of Trostyanets and Chattanooga are separated by thousands of kilometers, but we are extremely happy to initiate our cooperation. We aspire to establish a partnership in various fields, including the economy, management, culture and tourism, education, healthcare, and many others. Trostyanets is one of the cities that suffered greatly from the Russian occupation of the Sumy region. I am incredibly grateful to Mayor Tim Kelly, who, along with his colleagues, has extended the helping hand of the American people, offering assistance through knowledge, experience, and technology to expedite the reconstruction of Ukraine and the city of Trostyanets,” said Mayor Bova. “The cities of Trostyanets and Chattanooga are separated by thousands of kilometers, but we are extremely happy to initiate our cooperation. We aspire to establish a partnership in various fields, including the economy, management, culture and tourism, education, healthcare, and many others. Trostyanets is one of the cities that suffered greatly from the Russian occupation of the Sumy region. I am incredibly grateful to Mayor Tim Kelly, who, along with his colleagues, has extended the helping hand of the American people, offering assistance through knowledge, experience, and technology to expedite the reconstruction of Ukraine and the city of Trostyanets.”
Residents interested in participating in Mayor Kelly’s working group in support of rebuilding Trostyanets can apply here.