| WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD) announced today that his official guest for the 2022 State of the Union Address this evening will be University of Maryland sophomore and Terrapin men's basketball player Pavlo Dziuba. A native of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, which is now under a sixth day of brutal Russian attacks, Dziuba will virtually attend the joint session of Congress at which President Joe Biden will deliver his annual address and is expected to discuss America's response to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis it has created. Dziuba was cheered on Sunday when he took to the court for Maryland at Ohio State draped in a Ukrainian flag and with the words "Peace," "No War," and "Family" written on his shoes.  "Like so many Ukrainians and Ukrainian-Americans, Pavlo is watching from afar as his nation endures a brutal, illegal, immoral, and unjustifiable attack by Putin's forces," said Congressman Hoyer. "I know that he is very concerned, as am I, about the safety of his parents and brother, who are still in Ukraine and trying to make their way to safety. I'm very proud of the way Marylanders have come together to support our Ukrainian and Ukrainian-American friends during this time of distress – raising funds, offering help, and showing solidarity – as well as how our state and our nation has rallied in support of the Ukrainian people as they bravely fight to defend their freedom and their democracy. I'm honored that Pavlo, a fellow Terp, has accepted my invitation to join me virtually tonight for President Biden's State of the Union Address, and I hope he will be moved and uplifted by the President's remarks and by the broad, bipartisan support for Ukraine in Congress as our nation and its allies help Ukraine confront this invasion." Pavlo Dziuba is an 18-year-old sophomore basketball player at the University of Maryland who is from Kyiv, Ukraine. His mother, father, and older brother still live in Kyiv but have recently fled the city since the invasion began six days ago. In 2020, Dziuba played his freshman year at Arizona State University and was the youngest college basketball player in the US at 16. Dziuba played in a European basketball league prior to attending Arizona State University. |