Walking through scenic Rock Creek Park in D.C. on an early, cool morning in late May, Jovita Neliupšienė paused along a trail and proudly pointed to her T-shirt. It had a blue background with red and white writing. It read, “Whatever victory takes.”
It refers to Ukraine’s desperate fight for survival in the brutal war Russia is waging for control of that country.
Neliupšienė, who became the new European Union ambassador to the U.S. in January, described the slogan, saying, “We have to make sure that Ukraine wins and Russia loses, because the Ukrainians are fighting not only for their country, their democracy and their freedom, but they are fighting for the values which we all care about.”
She, along with other EU diplomats and officials, has visited countless cities across the U.S. in recent months to learn about the diverse patchwork of people, cultures and values that make up America. They also are sharing valuable lessons they’ve learned from more than a century of Russian malign influence campaigns, propaganda and newly emerging strains of disinformation.
Neliupšienė, a fan of hiking in American parks, talked with WTOP national security correspondent J.J. Green on Wednesday as they walked on a trail not far from the Rock Creek Park Golf Course.
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