10/12/2026
It was an incredible honor for Ukraine House to host the "Get Ready for Association of the United States Army - AUSA National" reception, bringing together US government officials, defense companies from the US and Ukraine, diplomats, business, and our wonderful Ukrainian hromada 🇺🇦🇺🇸
This special night kicked off a productive week at the annual AUSA meeting in Washington, D.C., where 15 Ukrainian companies are proudly representing technologies shaped directly by hard-earned battlefield experience.
We want to extend our gratitude to our distinguished speakers for setting such an inspiring tone for a week of building transatlantic defense partnerships:
👉 Amb. Oksana Markarova (Chair of the Ukraine House Board, Advisor to the President of Ukraine on Reconstruction and Investment) opened the night by thanking the American people and partners, and expressing her hope for fruitful new collaborations.
👉 Derek Berlin (CEO of Palisade Bergschrund) reminded us of the need for security to be mutual and challenged the participants to turn "potential energy" into "kinetic energy" and to change their conversations into investments and joint projects.
👉 Col. (ret) Jeff Merenkov (Director of European Affairs, AUSA) spoke of how Ukraine is revolutionizing modern warfare through innovations of practical life-saving nature.
👉 Laura Cooper (former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Georgetown University) stressed on the defense innovations of Ukraine and asked us not to stick only to the "headlines" but to unite the battlefield innovations of Ukraine with the manufacturing capability of the United States.
👉 Carlos Del Toro (78th US Secretary of the Navy) underscored the absolutely crucial necessity of total and comprehensive support to Ukraine.
👉 Maj. Gen. (ret) Borys Kremenetskyi (Senior Partner of Palisade Bergschrund) encouraged participants not only to network but to do technology cooperation and business development in Ukraine.
A huge thank you to our amazing moderator, Sophia Kachur, for guiding the evening, the Gerdan band for the beautiful musical ambiance, and RUTA for the delicious Ukrainian cuisine!🥟🎶
Thank you to everyone who joined us. Wish you a successful week ahead at AUSA, building the relationships that will bring the tools for victory!
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