Thousands of Ukrainian flags have been placed at the Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square), the central square of Kyiv, Ukraine, in front of the Independence Monument, in memory of those whose lives have been lost since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022. Behind the flags stands a sign reading 'Ukrainians killed by Putin'. Ukraine suffers from the invasion by Russian Federation military forces into the country, ongoing since February 2022, including the annexation by Russia of four regions in eastern Ukraine.

“The futility of this war is grieved in the enormous cost of lives among civilians and many children and refugees,” he said. “Essential civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and water supplies, have been damaged or destroyed, often in targeted attacks.”

The invasion, its attendant war crimes and crimes against humanity, and the mounting toll in lives, communities, and future hopes destroyed has continued, Pillay reflected. 

“We call once again for dialogue and negotiations to secure a sustainable just peace,” Pillay said. “The WCC welcomes any legitimate effort that genuinely seeks a sustainable peace in the region, without simply rewarding the aggression that has been perpetrated and the violation of so many principles of international law established in the aftermath of the Second World War to protect the vulnerable against the depredations of the powerful.”

Undermining the rule of law in this way would simply invite further aggression, Pillay added. “Moreover, the legitimacy of any such peace process is ultimately contingent upon the inclusion of the victim of this aggression at the table of negotiations and decision-making,” he said. “We pray for an immediate ceasefire, Christian unity against violence and injustice, and for the peace to which our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ calls us.”