With the situation in Ukraine growing more urgent by the day, it is more important than ever to continue to talk about how diplomatic solutions play a key role in global peace and security and how this crisis affects states like Michigan. On April 27, the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (UGLC) hosted a conversation with Representative Peter Meijer (R-MI-3) to talk about the enduring importance of U.S. global engagement and its key role in supporting Michigan’s exports and cultural exchanges.

Key Quotes from the Conversation

On How American Can Lead in Global Context

“Within the context of a global world, within the context of our kind of globalized approach, it is essential that we never think that anything occurs in isolation. There are pieces of connectivity, whether it is the assumption of American leadership and American strength, whether it is a question of our commitment to our allies or willingness to project force. All of that is going to have an impact in terms of how other countries judge, how the U.S. will respond, and what the state of play in the world is at the moment.”

On Bipartisan Support for Ukraine

“You see how Vladimir Putin wasn’t the only one who didn’t appreciate the strength of NATO, who didn’t appreciate how much the Western world, how much the transatlantic alliance, how much the American people still have the understanding that stability and prosperity around the world benefit us. . . Even if we can’t connect those dots very directly ,we get that sense that this is wrong, that Putin shouldn’t be able to do this, that the Ukrainians are in the right, and that we should help them out. . . I’ve never seen the amount of strong bipartisan support for an issue that I’ve seen around Ukraine.”

On the Future of Trade in Michigan

“I think it is a real tremendous opportunity, both to support prosperity domestically, to support our export market and our producers at home, but also to use that as a way of making sure that we are interwoven to promote sustainable political practices, and just an overall sense of stability.”

Facts About Michigan’s Role in the Global Economy

• In Michigan, 1,118,900 jobs were supported by international trade in 2019, representing nearly one in five of all jobs in the state.^1,2
• Michigan exported $44.1 billion in goods to foreign markets in 2020.
• During 2021, 27,454international students were enrolled in Michigan colleges and universities and contributed more than $828 million to the Michigan economy.

Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI-03) Bio

Representative Peter Meijer was first elected to serve Michigan’s Third Congressional District in 2020. He sits on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the House Committee on Homeland Security, and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. He is also a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus and the For Country Caucus. Before joining Congress, Rep. Meijer served in the U.S. Army, including deployment in Iraq, and led disaster response and humanitarian efforts with non-governmental organizations.

Read more about Rep. Meijer here