SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, recently returned from a weeklong diplomatic trip to Lviv, Ukraine.

He met with Lviv officials about the ongoing struggle against Russian aggression and toured key facilities, including a military hospital and the Superhuman Center, which provides prosthetic limbs to many of the tens of thousands of military veterans and civilians injured in the war.

“The resilience, determination and resolve of the Ukrainian people is incredible,” Dodd said. “We have so much in common, especially our love of freedom and democracy, so it is essential that we stand with them as they fight for their continued independence. I come away from my visit with a renewed sense of urgency to help Ukraine as it recovers from the destructive violence, as well as admiration for their strength and ingenuity. California can play a big role in the healing, and I urge friends and colleagues to consider how they might pitch in.”

Dodd traveled to Lviv in western Ukraine during the week of Oct. 14, meeting with Lviv Gov. Maksym Kozytskyy, who is an appointee of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Together, they spoke with representatives from the Lviv legislature and education leaders about forging cultural and economic ties between California and the region.

Their meeting came in advance of the Rebuild Ukraine trade summit set for Nov. 11 to Nov. 15 in Poland. The California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development will lead a delegation of the state’s public and private sector groups working to support economic recovery. Economic and business-to-business relationships will boost both economies.

“We must take concrete steps such as investing in and supporting Ukrainian business and technology that will sustain the country’s recovery,” Dodd said. “We must also strengthen partnerships between our universities and research institutions. There’s so much we can do to help and doing so will also enrich our state as well, so it is a win-win.”

Dodd toured numerous Lviv facilities, including a military hospital, where he talked to wounded veterans and a military cemetery opened in 2022 where more than 800 soldiers from Lviv have been buried. He was especially moved during a tour of the Superhuman Center, which is helping meet the needs of the 50,000 Ukrainians facing amputations due to the war.

“It’s a stark reminder of the tragedy that has unfolded here over the past few years,” Dodd said. “In an otherwise beautiful country, there are literally daily funerals for those killed in the war.”

In addition, Dodd visited Lviv region infrastructure that was hit by Russian missiles earlier this year, as well as the Ukrainian Catholic University, where he spoke with the country’s emerging leaders in a graduate-level public administration seminar. Dodd also watched demonstrations of cutting-edge technology, including the use of drones.

Now, Dodd is urging Californians to get involved by supporting a Ukraine charity of their choice. A link to the nonprofit Superhuman Center is superhumans.com/en.  

Dodd’s trip followed his own Ukraine-related initiative, Senate Concurrent Resolution 96, unanimously approved by the Legislature in April, establishing a sister-state relationship with the Lviv region. Following its passage, Dodd honored a delegation of Ukrainian government officials on the Senate floor. In Dodd’s district, the Sonoma Sister City Association has long been a sister city with Kaniv, Ukraine, and since the outbreak of war has raised nearly $200,000 and sent a fully stocked ambulance to support Kaniv.

Dodd’s trip was funded without the use of taxpayer dollars.

Senator Bill Dodd represents the 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Yolo, Sonoma, Solano, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties. More information on Dodd can be found at www.senate.ca.gov/dodd.