Ethereum Co-Founder’s Surprise Visit To Ukraine As The Merge Nears
- Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin was present at the Kyiv Tech Summit, and much to the surprise of the people present there, the crypto billionaire talked about the future for the blockchain industry.
- Buterin’s statement from his visit to Ukraine shows support for the European country as its struggle with Russia continues to haunt the world.
Just ahead of Ethereum’s highly-anticipated event, The Merge, co-founder Vitalik Buterin surprised the crypto community by visiting Kyiv and taking part in the Kyiv Tech Summit Web3 hackathon.
The blockchain charity fund Unchain Ukraine and Ukraine DAO joined hands to organize the Kyiv Tech Summit, which was held from September 6 to September 9 at UNIT.City Innovation Park. The two entities’ intention behind the event is to develop software solutions that have the potential to help the country during the war with Russia.
During the meet, the Ethereum co-founder revealed that it was the first time in Kyiv and that his interest and appreciation for the fact that an event is taking place in the capital of a nation at war inspired him to attend the Tech Summit. Buterin said it clearly indicates the potential and unity of the Web3 community across the world.
“I wanted to see with my own eyes what kind of Ethereum-based projects and applications are being created here, to get to know the people behind them,”
He added.
Recall that on February 24, Russian troops invaded Ukraine, declaring war situation between the two nations. On the same day, crypto-billionaire Buterin went to Twitter to express his unhappiness with Putin’s decision to start the war and urged people to support Ukrainians in any way they could.
Notably, Ukraine has received massive support from the global crypto community, along with millions of dollars in donations. In April, Vitalik donated 1,500 ETH to support the nation, worth around $5 million.
Buterin reiterated his support for the Ukrainian citizens and revealed that he is actively monitoring all that was happening in Ukraine.
Vitalik Buterin added that because Ukraine has established a thriving Web3 community, it has a lot of potential and prospects to become a Web3 hub and inspire other nations.
“A country can become a Web3 hub if its people are actively interested in this technology and decide to make a big contribution to its development. So yes, absolutely. Ukraine has both the capabilities and the determination for becoming the next Web3 hub,”
He stated.
It is important to note that both sides have recognized the potential of digital assets including Ethereum in such situations. Ukraine, on one hand, had legalized Bitcoin usage in the nation amid heightened tensions, Russia has also allowed crypto payments for cross-border trades.
A crypto journalist with over 3 years of experience in DeFi, NFT, metaverse, etc. Parth has worked with major media outlets in the crypto and finance world and has gained experience and expertise in crypto culture after surviving bear and bull markets over the years.
