WEST CHESTER, PA — Chris Pielli said the Pennsylvania House has adopted his resolution recognizing August 24, 2026, as Ukrainian Independence Day in Pennsylvania.
Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union on August 24, 1991, following a referendum in which more than 90% of voters supported independence.
Pielli, a Democrat representing portions of Chester County, cited the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine in remarks supporting the resolution.
Under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine agreed to relinquish its nuclear arsenal in exchange for security assurances from the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia regarding its territorial integrity.
Russia later violated that agreement through its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to the resolution.
“Ukraine was supposed to fall quickly, but the Ukrainian people fought back with a passion and resolve that one only sees in a people fighting for their independence,” Pielli said.
He also referenced casualties from the conflict, stating that hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have been killed or wounded since the war began.
“With this resolution, our great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania … sends a message to the world … as we stand in solidarity with those who yearn, who fight, who sacrifice and bleed for the unconquerable dream of freedom,” Pielli said.
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