Ukrainian singer told Putin to stay away at 2014 Newsmaker

The Russian invasion of Ukraine recalls a visit to the National Press Cub on March 5, 2014, by Ruslana Lyzhychko, the Ukraine pop singer and political activist who had come to Washington to be among the recipients of the International Women in Courage Award from the State Department. It was presented by First Lady Michelle Obama.

Ruslana, as she is known, had been leading protests on Kyiv's Maidan, or Independence Square, to denounce the Russian invasion of Crimea and to urge closer ties to the European Union for her country.

I was Club president at the time and moderated the Newsmaker where Ruslana spoke and declared: "Don't touch Ukraine, President Putin."

As the Newsmaker concluded, I said to Ruslana that it was a tradition for cultural guests to the Club to perform a song. With that, she went over to the Ukraine flag next to the head table, lifted it out of its pedestal and sang the Ukraine national anthem a cappella.

And then I said the Club had another tradition: to present guest speakers with the coveted Club mug. She accepted it and said:

"I will use this mug to drink the drink of truth."