On Thursday morning, explosions thundered across Kyiv once again as Russia unleashed one of its largest missile-and-drone attacks against the Ukrainian capital.
This, following deadly strikes earlier this month on Kharkiv, Sumy, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and other cities and towns.
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First came the flashes, then the explosions, and for hours the two intertwined and lingered, until a brief, deafening silence befell the capital.
Amidst that silence rose the roaring flames, with phones ringing beneath the rubble, some never to be picked up again.
The Kyiv Post newsroom – like all Ukrainians and expats in the city – hoped the evening would not be their last. For at least 12 people, it was.
In such grim circumstances, as Ukraine’s global voice, we, the team at Kyiv Post, want to remind you of the following:
Russia’s invasion, which began back in 2014 and intensified in 2022, is a blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter. It has been condemned over the last decade by the majority of the UN’s members, the US, EU, NATO and others, including the first administration of US President Donald Trump.
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Russia’s barbaric war against Ukraine continues. It is not petering out, or a frozen conflict. There has been no let-up.
If anything, due to the astonishing turncoat behavior of the Trump administration and prevarication on the part of some of Ukraine’s other supporters, Russia has been encouraged to intensify its attacks and efforts to seize as much Ukrainian territory as possible.
There can be no moral equivocation: despotic Russia is an imperialistic aggressor, war criminal and implementor of genocidal policies against its sovereign neighbor, Ukraine; independent, democratic Ukraine, is the victim, defending its very right to exist, and it is owed the support of all those who uphold international law, democracy and human decency.
Ukraine’s struggle is not a “local affair” – it has serious implications for Europe, Turkey, and the democratic world as such; and in a broader sense for many other parts of the world dependent on Ukraine’s agricultural and other natural wealth.
The cynical hollowness of the “peace” talks favoring Russia’s aims proclaimed unilaterally by the Trump administration and being forced on Ukraine is evident and reprehensible. Its consequences are reflected in the latest deaths and injuries we are witnessing.
As the prospect of a just and lasting peace grows increasingly uncertain – with extortionist territorial and economic concessions being demanded of Ukraine – “peace” remains a flashy but empty word in headlines.
Ukraine desperately needs understanding and real support, in deeds, not just words. Now, today, not in the indefinite future.
For a start, close the sky above Ukraine. Or rather, do not allow Russia to keep raining death down from it on Ukrainian civilians.
Secondly, open up the Black Sea to normal maritime activity by keeping Russia’s constant military menace and interference at bay.
Thirdly, for any subsequent ceasefire to hold, address the question of how to ensure this – without caving in to Moscow’s threats designed to cow the world into appeasement.
Ensure the return of all Ukrainian children deported to Russia, a swap of all POWs, and the release of Ukrainian hostages held by Moscow.
And, beyond that, the international community has to make it clear that it cannot be left to Trump and Putin to dictate the terms of any subsequent “peace settlement.” International law, the UN Charter, have to be respected, not circumvented, as also the previous commitments made to Ukraine in the Budapest Memorandum of 1994 by the US, Russia, and UK, together with the individual assurances given by France and China.
Last but not least, remember that the Ukrainian people in accordance with their democratic constitution are to decide what’s best for them, who should lead them, and with whom they should align – not external powers wanting to dictate terms in some outdated colonial manner.
Otherwise, the war will continue. More people will die, even if support for Ukraine is cut off and its people have to resort to guerrilla warfare.
So, at this crucial moment for Ukraine, do not turn away, or remain passive.
Give Ukraine the means to win a just peace. It has not let you down and capitulated. Please do not let Ukraine down.
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