06 January 2025

Qırım. Return Collage Is Among Ukraine’s Official Gifts to the United States

In 2023, Ukraine presented several significant gifts to U.S. leaders, which have become part of the U.S. State Department’s official registry of valuable foreign gifts.

During his visit to Washington in September 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented U.S. President Joe Biden with a collage titled Qırım. Return. This piece of art, valued at $2,400, was transferred to the U.S. National Archives. The collage symbolizes Ukraine’s aspiration to reclaim the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea.

To First Lady Jill Biden, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, presented a forget-me-not brooch created by Kharkiv jeweler Stanislav Drokin. The brooch, crafted from fragments of Russian missiles and adorned with titanium blue flowers, is listed in the registry with an estimated value exceeding $14,000. It will be kept in the East Wing of the White House for official use.

Stanislav Drokin, renowned for his Forget-Me-Not collection, repurposes missile fragments to create jewelry designed to preserve the memory of those affected by the war. The brooch presented to Jill Biden was explicitly created for U.S. Independence Day on July 4, 2022, during the intense shelling of Kharkiv.

These gifts have been recognized as outstanding examples of Ukrainian art while also reflecting the harsh realities of war. The Ukrainian contributions serve as a poignant reminder of the challenges faced by the nation and underscore the importance of international support in Ukraine’s fight for territorial integrity.