YOU ARE INVITED TO ATTEND a USUBC sponsored "Ukraine Briefing by the Commerce Department," a U.S. Department of Commerce and Broader U.S. Government Engagement with Ukraine UPDATE by Michael Lally, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). 

 Betsy Hafner, Deputy Assistant USTR for Russia and Eurasia, will also provide a briefing about the upcoming Trade & Investment Council (TIC) meeting between USTR and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade being held in Washington on October 5th (government to government).  The TIC agenda includes IPR, agriculture, customs, regulatory environment, energy, infrastructure, and business climate.  USTR welcomes company-specific concerns in these areas sent to them in a background paper,  USTR will not any company that does not want its name used. 

The USUBC meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 21, 2016, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Conference Room, Executive Building, Suite 230 E, 1030 15th Street, N.W., Wash, D.C. (check in at front desk with ID).  This is the building where the USUBC offices are located. The meeting will be off-the-record.

DAS Michael Lally is a long-time top U.S. government expert on Ukraine.  From 1993-1996, Mr. Lally was Commercial Attaché at the U.S. Embassy, Kyiv, Ukraine, where he participated in opening the first U.S. Commercial Office in independent Ukraine.  He was a member of the U.S. government delegation last fall when Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker was in Kyiv. 

Michael Lally leads efforts to develop trade policy and facilitate business development with U.S. firms in the EMEA region. His duties include business and policy development and operational oversight of five Washington business units and over forty U.S. Commercial Service offices in the EMEA region.

Michael Lally and Betsy Hafner will present their briefing which will then be followed by an open discussion/Q&A session.