It was no coincidence the 80-year-old chose Presidents’ Day to set foot in an active war zone to discuss the situation with his Ukrainian counterpart in a show of collective strength and solidarity. He defied threats of Russian missile attacks to announce an additional package of U.S. weapons and supplies worth $500 million.

Biden emphasized the U.S.’s commitment to the cause. “Freedom is priceless,” he said. “It’s worth fighting for, for as long as it takes.” Can business leaders echo this assurance?

However, the initial flurry of support for Ukraine by businesses worldwide a year ago has dwindled. To an extent, it was inevitable that so-called “Ukraine fatigue” set in, with the bright lights of the world’s media dimming over time.

At January’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Amnesty International secretary general Agnès Callamard said: “When you get into meetings with corporate actors, it has not been my experience that Ukraine is the primary concern of the agenda.” She lamented a sense that business leaders had “done what needed to be done for Ukraine.”

While many companies have suspended dealings with Russia, over 1,230 international companies are still trading with Vladimir Putin’s country, indirectly funding the war effort, according to the latest Leave Russia data.

Some technology leaders, however, have sustained their support. For example, Google has contributed $15 million in donations and in-kind support to aid relief efforts in Ukraine. And in November, Microsoft revealed plans to extend technology support free of charge for Ukraine throughout 2023 and provide tech aid worth approximately $100 million.

Leadership challenge

Sustaining the momentum of international support is a leadership challenge for 45-year-old Zelensky, said U.K.-based Bernd Vogel, professor of leadership at Henley Business School. He argued that other business leaders can learn a lot from the indefatigable Ukrainian president in terms of “mobilizing exhausted people and organizations.”

“Being up against a deep survival-type threat galvanizes people,” said Prof. Vogel. “It activates human energy for the bigger cause.” The dilemma for Zelensky, though, is that “this perceived threat might fade” on the global stage, he added. “Inside Ukraine, the devastating experience of war is still a reality, but in the U.K. and the U.S., our attention is fleeting, and interest could easily disappear.”

Pleasingly, there are several instances where organizations have continued their support for Ukraine-based workers. For example, Let’s Enhance, a Ukrainian-U.S. photo-editing company headquartered in San Francisco – but with about half of the workforce made up of Ukrainians – has assisted with relocation, accommodation, and insurance costs, for employees and their relatives.

That’s not all. Sofiia Shvets, a Ukrainian national and co-founder of Let’s Enhance, said: “We support and preserve jobs …read more

Source:: Digiday

Author: Aaron