Deseret News | What is behind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s trip to Utah?

Photo credit: Isaac Hale, Deseret News

By Dennis Romboy

Why is President Zelenskyy in Utah?

The honorary consul of Ukraine in Utah sprang into action when he and the governor’s office learned three weeks ago that Zelenksyy would be in Washington, D.C., on July 10-11 for the NATO summit.

Jonathan Freedman, who has served as honorary consul since 2008, contacted Ukrainian ambassador Oksana Markarova in Washington and suggested Zelenskyy should come to Salt Lake City afterward to attend the National Governors Association summer meeting at the Grand America. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox chairs the organization.

“He was committed in Europe, he had firm commitments and they said it was impossible,” said Freedman, president and CEO of World Trade Center Utah.

Cox extended a formal invitation from the governors association to the ambassador for Zelenskyy to come “and that really set things in motion,” Freedman said. “Over the last three weeks, what was a long shot increasingly became more and more likely until on July 4 that it was confirmed.”

Freedman, who received the Ukrainian Order of Merit award from Zelenskyy last year, said it was “unbelievable” that he accepted the invitation.

“It’s a very impressive delegation this week in Washington, D.C., and they’re adding this stop in Salt Lake City,” he said. “Had we gotten one of these members of the delegation, we would have been thrilled. To have them all is outstanding.”