USUBC organized a Roundtable “DOING BUSINESS IN UKRAINE NOW” in Washington presenting a panel of outstanding experts who are deeply involved and invested in the business scene in Ukraine today and have years of experience on the ground. Four speakers on the panel represented the private sector and one from the Ukraine Desk at the US State Department:

1) Eric P. Luhmann, Director of Market Development for CIS and Europe and Head of Representation in Ukraine, Amsted Rail Company, Kyiv, Ukraine.  
 2)Alexander M. Gordin, Managing Director, Broad Street Capital Group, New York, NY
 3) Irina Paliashvili, President & Senior Counsel, RULG-Ukrainian Legal Group, Chair, USUBC Legal Committee, Washington and Kyiv – Moderator of the Roundtable.
 4) Brad Freden,  Director of the Office of Eastern European Affairs, Department of State’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, Washington, D.C.
 5)  Glenn Myles, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Founder, First Wall Street Capital, New York, NY

In the picture left to right: Alex Gordin, Brouad Street Capital Group; Brad Freden, U.S. State Department; Glenn Myles, First Wall Street Capital;

In their presentations, panelists discussed recent good news coming from Ukraine, including GDP growth, record grain harvest and export increase, and expressed their optimism towards the ambitious reform agenda in Ukraine.
Investors and business community welcome positive signals from new Ukrainian president towards liberalization and deregulation, land reform and simplifying the process of doing business in Ukraine.

At the same time, investors realize the number of risks and corruption that have to be tackled along with the existing problems that prevent Ukrainian economy from moving forward.

Irina Paliashvili, President & Senior Counsel, RULG-Ukrainian Legal Group who moderated the roundtable briefed the audience about justice reform, key legislation updates and most promising initiatives announced by President Zelenskyy, such as "Country in a smartphone", lifting the moratorium on agricultural land by the end of 2019, reforming the prosecutor's general office, deregulation etc. "New leadership of Ukraine has to remove the source of corruption, otherwise anticorruption legislation won't work," she emphasized. 

In the picture left to right:  Irina Paliashvili, RULG-Ukrainian legal Group; Vitalii tarasiuk, Embassy of Ukraine in Washington; Myroslava Gongadze, VOA Ukraine; Manuel Rocha, Xcoal.

“Business hopes for good weather in Ukraine but we keep our umbrellas handy,” said Alex Gordin from Wall Street Capital Group.

Attended by over 40 people, USUBC roundtable gathered representatives from public and private sectors, think tanks, International Financial institutions: Atlantic Council, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP, Interlink Capital Strategies, U.S. State Department, Voice of America, Broad Street Capital Group, Kyiv Atlantic, White & Case, First Wall Street Capital, DAI USAID Economic Resilience Activity, U.S.-Ukraine Foundation, Amsted Rail, Taylors International Services, Inc., Booz Allen Hamilton, StemCiTerra,LLC, RULG-Ukrainian Legal Group, The Peoples Group Ltd, Lotus, LLC, Xcoal, Wiley Rein LLP, EBRD, Embassy of Ukraine to the USA, Institute of International Finance and others.