Kyiv December 22, 2025
We, representatives of Christianity based civil society organizations, as part of Ukraine’s civil society and united within the Ukrainian Christian Movement, express our firm support for the efforts of the Ukrainian state authorities, led by the President of Ukraine, aimed at ending the war and establishing a just peace.
For us, peace is not merely the absence of war; it is a condition of life in which dignity, freedom, and the flourishing of nations prevail, and in which the rights of individuals and peoples, enshrined in international law, are respected and protected. This is the peace to which the overwhelming majority of the Ukrainian people aspire. We yearn for justice and peace.
A just peace means the triumph of the “rule of law” over the “law of force.” This is a principle recognized by the international community and one that we, as Christians, regard as a moral imperative. Any attempts to impose peace through violence, coercion, or disregard for the sovereign rights of peoples are unjust and cannot be accepted.
With great sorrow, we witness how Christian teaching is being ideologized, distorted, and used to justify the dominance of the “law of force.” This is a profound abuse of faith, which is called to serve truth, love, and freedom.
Particularly dangerous in this regard is the ideology of the “Russian world” (russkiy mir), which seeks to substitute the Gospel with political myths, sacralize power, and justify aggression. This constitutes a grave misuse of faith, which is meant to serve truth, love, and freedom.
As international Christian organizations have noted, this ideology poses a threat not only to Ukraine but to the entire world, as it undermines the foundations of peaceful coexistence among nations, erodes trust between states, and leads to new conflicts. We reject any attempts to cloak aggression in religious arguments, for this contradicts the very essence of the Gospel.
The Ukrainian people are now in the twelfth year of war and the fourth year of its full-scale, hot phase. We seek the swiftest possible end to this tragedy—but not at any cost. Our sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national identity are inviolable. A peace that disregards these foundations cannot be called just.
We are pained to hear assessments of our struggle for life, freedom, and independence as “meaningless” or “childish games.” Such words demean the memory of thousands of victims and the suffering of millions. Our struggle is a testimony to the dignity of a people who refuse slavery or annihilation, and it carries profound moral significance.
Over recent decades, the international community has developed effective principles of peaceful coexistence:
- The inviolability of borders and sovereignty as the foundation of trust between states;
- The primacy of human rights, for peace is impossible without protecting the dignity of every person;
- The rejection of imperial ambitions, as no state has the right to impose “spheres of influence”;
- Truth and memory, since peace negotiations must be grounded in the truth about aggression and crimes, not in the illusion of a “quick peace.”
These principles are affirmed in statements by the Catholic Church, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the World Council of Churches, and numerous global and European Christian communities. All emphasize that peace negotiations must rest on truth, international law, and the genuine protection of human rights. Only this path can bring lasting reconciliation, restore trust, and ultimately establish a sustainable peace among nations.
We call on the international community not to succumb to the illusion of a “quick peace” at the expense of justice, but to pursue consistently the establishment of a lasting and just peace—first and foremost by compelling the aggressor to cease hostilities and all other forms of bloodshed.
We affirm that the strength of our people lies in unity, truth, and faith. We pray, struggle, and work so that Ukraine may remain a free, just, and dignified state among the nations of the world. We call upon all people of good will to support our path toward a just peace—one that upholds the rule of law, protects life and freedom, and becomes a blessing for future generations.
SIGNATORIES:
On behalf of the Council of Christian Churches of Ukraine – Chair of the Council, Anatoliy Kozachok
On behalf of the NGO “Ukrainian Association of Christian Educators” – Head of the Organization, Vitaliy Shulha
On behalf of the Interfaith Initiative “Christians for Ukraine” – , Yaroslav Lukasik
On behalf of the NGO “Christian Rescue Service” – Head of the Organization, Liudmyla Bohdashevska
On behalf of the NGO “Civic Movement ‘All Together!’” – Head of the Organization, Ruslan Kukharchuk
On behalf of the NGO “Movement for Life and Human Dignity” – Head of the Organization, Artur Pohorilenko
On behalf of the NGO “Center for Restoration and Development” – Head of the Organization, Oleksandr Volyanyk
On behalf of the NGO "The Patriarchal Society of the Great Kyivan Prince St. Volodymyr, Equal to the Apostles"-, Chairman of the Patriarchal Society Mykhailo Kanafotskyi