“Besides the destruction and fear it brings, every falling missile is a cause of disillusionment. Little by little, we’re preparing for the day when this war is finally over and negotiations can start. That is what Trump has promised, and we all hope that it will in fact happen. So it’s simply incomprehensible to us why the Russians continue firing drones and missiles every night. Not only do these missiles destroy everything they hit, they also shatter all hopes that we might be getting closer to ending this war. If an agreement is underway, this should not be happening.”
Speaking from Kyiv, Monsignor Oleksandr Yazlovetskyi, Auxiliary Bishop of Kyiv and President of Caritas-Spes Ukraine, commented on the ongoing talks between the United States and Russia with a view to starting negotiations to end the war that has been ravaging Ukraine for the past three years. He was speaking after a massive Russian attack took place overnight in the Obolonskyy district of Kyiv. “A few missiles hit and destroyed a building. One person died and four were wounded.”
The impact of these explosions was very strong. Everyone was frightened, especially the children, who were crying with fear.
How are you now?
Life moves on. Every night the sirens go off all over the country, sometimes one, two, three times a night, so we have become used to these bombings. They do it deliberately to wear people out mentally. The drones fly between the buildings and then start shooting. I filmed one with my mobile phone a few nights ago. They cause destruction, vehicles are burnt, but people have grown used to it and no one reacts anymore.
You are following Trump’s statements and his phone calls with Putin. How are these developments in international diplomacy perceived by the general public?
“As a people, we have the greatest interest in ending this war and ending it soon. I have not met a single person, civilian or military, who is in favour of its continuation. Everyone hopes and prays that this war will end. But let it end with a just peace. Here in the Ukraine, we are following the news very closely, perhaps even more closely than in other places. We know all the details. What our president has said, what Trump has said, where the European Union stands. Even the children are aware of the latest news. Partly because they hear it on TV, and partly because they hear it from adults, at school or in the family. We are hopeful, but at the same time we are afraid, because we want this war not only to end, but to end with a just peace and a guarantee that we will be protected in the future. Besides, if we are left alone, how can we face a country as big as Russia?
This morning we heard what Trump said after his long phone call with Putin, but he didn’t make clear what role Ukraine could play in the negotiations. That worries us.
What is your request to Europe?
We hope that Europe will also be involved in the peace talks for Ukraine. The European countries that have helped us so much cannot be excluded from these processes because they are our allies, our friends. Our hope as Christians is that God will guide this process in a just way.
Would you like to appeal to world leaders on behalf of the people of Ukraine?
My appeal remains unchanged. Those who believe in God, knowing that everything depends on God, I ask you to pray for us. I want to say to all those who can influence political processes in any way, and who know the injustice and terror of war, and who have the will to seek peace, that God is giving us a chance. But opportunities don’t last forever and could disappear before we can act and make a difference. It seems that we have entered a phase where God is offering us a chance to end this war and extinguish this fire.
I ask not to waste this opportunity and that all of us work together to extinguish this fire.
