Seven-year-old Karolina plays the piano at the Ukra*nian House cultural center in the US capital, jabbing at the keys, swinging her sneakers under them. She could have been any child playing the piano, except that the legs dangling under the bench were prosthetic legs.
Karolina lost her legs last fall in a Russ*an attack on the Ukra*nian city of Nikopol and came to the United States for treatment.
Ukra*nian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova sits next to Karolina, who helped organize the care of the girl.
Such visits are now typical of a wartime ambassador.
“It’s a marathon and just doing everything in your power every day to bring our country a little closer to victory,” Markarova told CNN at the Ukra*nian embassy late last month. “It’s definitely a very difficult, very demanding experience.”
This month marks two years since Markarova became an ambassador. She was less than a year away in her post when Russ*an leader Vladimir Putin invaded Ukra*ne on February 24, 2022.
“We were preparing for this,” she recalls. “We knew there was an intention to attack us, but you never fully believe it until, unfortunately, something terrible happens, like war.”
Markarova said that for the first couple of months of the war she woke up and thought it was a bad dream.
“It’s harder for everyone in Ukra*ne, of course,” she admitted. “As I always say, bombs don’t fall on us here – but we have been working literally 24/7 since February 24, and we will continue to work like that until we win.”
All of Washington: Markarova now spends most of her time outside the embassy, commuting between various government offices in Washington.
During a recent drive from the Capitol to the Department of Commerce for one such meeting, Markarova noted that the cars she uses have become a “second office.”
“Here I get ready between meetings, I drive everywhere,” she told CNN from the back seat.
The former private equity partner said she is not only working to secure military aid from Congress, but also seeking support from US companies and organizations as Ukra*ne begins to rebuild.
While House Republicans are divided on aid to Ukra*ne, Markarova said she sees no difference with the new GOP majority in the House. However, she admitted that there are members she needs to “talk more” to.
Markarova hopes that the growing political debate will not dampen support in general.
Read the full CNN profile on Markarova here.