Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Melnyk held a meeting with the President of the Utah State Senate J. Stuart Adams, leading a representative delegation of more than 30 American companies.

"This is, in fact, the first U.S. state-level leadership’s delegation to arrive in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale aggression of the Russian Federation on February 24, 2022. It is an extremely powerful manifestation of the support to the Ukrainian people in the darkest times of an extermination war waged by Russia," noted the deputy head of the Foreign Ministry.
"We highly appreciate the Utah’s political elites and business’ willingness to visit Kyiv," added Andrii Melnyk.

According to the Ukrainian diplomat, the visit by the President of the Utah State Senate as the head of a large trade delegation is a special expression of the U.S. allies’ solidarity with Ukraine, a signal of trust to the President and the Government, as well as a clear message of confidence in our joint victory over the aggressor.

The Deputy Minister emphasized the importance of the understandings reached in the framework of the visit of President J. Stuart Adams on deepening cooperation between the regions of Ukraine and individual U.S. states. Andrii Melnyk also expressed the hope that the Utah’s state footsteps would be followed in the near future by other U.S. states whose big business has interest to join the projects of urgent and post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, to contribute to defending common democratic values, progress and prosperity for both nations.

The President of the Utah State Senate, in turn, reaffirming the U.S. unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, testified to the readiness of the state authorities to comprehensively facilitate the restoration of our country, in particular by developing a long-term relationships with certain regions in a number of key sectors of Ukraine’s economy.

As President J. Stuart Adams said, the Utah’s delegation, while being in Ukraine, prioritized its attention on such sectors as defense industry, information technologies, agriculture, and housing reconstruction as the most promising ones for further development of cooperation.

As a follow-up to the meetings with the officials of the Government of Ukraine, the Utah’s business representatives are intended to look closely into the possibility of fostering a partnership in other fields as well.

Andrii Melnyk stressed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, for its part, considering this format of cooperation as a significant supplement to the interstate political dialogue, would continue promoting the strengthening of contacts between the U.S. cities and states with the regions and municipalities of our country.

For reference:

Utah, which became the 45th state of the United States in 1896, nowadays has the highest birth rate and the lowest death rate in the country.

The Beehive State, with 1% of the U.S. population (3,38 million residents) living in an area of 220,000 sq.km. has been named the No. 1 best state overall for 2023 by U.S. News and World Report.
This year edition of the annual rating is based on the study which analyzed more than 70 metrics in eight categories (including in areas like the economy, taxation, fiscal stability, health care, and crime and corrections). Utah’s emphasis on innovation and education, as well as favorable business environment, has resulted in a robust and diversified economy, with a GDP of $248 billion in 2023 (per capita, respectively, $73 thousand).

Utah is one of the leaders in the aerospace technologies’ development (according to the PwC, it ranks 4th among all the U.S. states): it is facilitated by the University of Utah, the Falcon Hill Aerospace Science and Research Park, the Dugway Proving Grounds and the UAV Systems Test Center, around which such companies as Boeing, Duncan Aviation, Janicki, Lockheed Martin, L3Harris, Northrop Grumman have their offices and productions.

The most dynamically growing is the financial technology sector. According to this indicator, Utah ranks 8th in the country: 50+ banks (worth more than $800 billion) and 60+ credit unions (with assets of nearly $40 billion) operate in the state. The headquarters of one of the most powerful U.S. financial institutions, Zions Bancorporation, is located in the capital of the state, Salt Lake City. Fintech is represented, in particular, by SoFi, MX Technologies, Lendio, HealthEquity, Womply, etc.

Manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment (generate $9.6 billion in revenue per year) make a significant contribution to the state's economy strengthening. Well-known international companies such as BioFire, Merit Medical and Myriad Genetics were founded in Utah.

Since the beginning of the full-scale armed invasion of the Russian Federation, the Utah authorities and numerous charitable institutions of the state have been supporting Ukrainians affected by Russian aggression with humanitarian aid. In particular, the Utah for Ukraine fund provided $4 million in aid, the non-profitable organization Globus Relief – $20 million, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the leading Mormon church in Utah, – $15 million, and the charitable August Mission – $3 million, for reconstruction of devastated private homes, support to refugees, providing energy generators to hospitals etc.