On April 25, 2025, Ulster County (New York State) and the Chernivtsi Regional Council of Ukraine signed a historic partnership agreement during a virtual ceremony. This marks the first official U.S.–Ukraine partnership established through the Cities4Cities network.

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The agreement was signed by Oleksii Boiko, Chair of the Chernivtsi Regional Council, Deputy Chair Mykhailo Pavliuk, and Head of the International Relations Department Yurii Bodnar. On the U.S. side, the signatories were Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger and Chair of the Ulster County Legislature Peter Criswell.

 

 

The partnership was made possible through the efforts of Ulster County volunteer Tim Distel, who is also facilitating several other partnerships and actively advancing this initiative.

“American citizens across the US continue to stand proudly with our Ukrainian friends. So it was a true honor to help unite Ulster County, New York, and the Chernivtsi Oblast. I’m profoundly grateful to Cities4Cities for their assistance on this partnership and I’m proud to support C4C’s important work to build friendships between communities across the US and Ukraine.” - said volunteer Tim Distel.

The agreement outlines cooperation in areas such as education, culture, municipal governance, digitalization, veteran support, and community resilience. Both parties are committed to engaging local residents in joint projects and fostering long-term collaboration.

“Ulster is proud to be the first county in the U.S. to sign such an agreement with Ukraine. This partnership builds bridges between our communities,” said Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger.

“Our core values are democracy, community support, and global solidarity. We are honored to welcome Chernivtsi as our sister region,” added Peter Criswell, Chair of the Ulster County Legislature.

 

 

From the Ukrainian side, Regional Council Chair Oleksii Boiko emphasized,

“Every agreement and every partnership is a reminder to Ukrainians that they are not alone in their fight for freedom.”

Ukrainian-American residents of Ulster County were present at the virtual signing and expressed sincere gratitude for the support. They also voiced their enthusiasm for strengthening cultural and educational ties between the two communities, aiming to build deeper mutual understanding and cooperation.

 

 

“Partnerships between districts, cities, and countries are, above all, partnerships between people. They bring new friendships, projects, innovations, and valuable exchanges of experience. The experience of the United States is particularly important for Ukraine — for example, in supporting veterans. In turn, we are ready to share our knowledge in areas like resilience and digitalization. By exchanging experiences, we create new meanings and generate new ideas.” — Svitlana Blinova, Coordinator of the Cities4Cities Initiative.

Cities4Cities facilitates U.S.–Ukraine partnerships in collaboration with volunteers, the Peace Corps, the Open World Program, and ICMA.