Ukrainian Ambassador, Archbishop call for aid amid ‘humanitarian catastrophe of massive proportions’

Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova said there is a “humanitarian catastrophe of massive proportions” in Ukraine and called for more assistance from the international community during a Tuesday Headliner Newsmaker event at the National Press Club.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine almost three weeks ago, Markarova said residential areas in capital city Kyiv have been attacked, while other cities like Mariupol have been encircled by troops and bombed, with evidence that the Russians are targeting civilians and children as well as the elderly and pregnant women.

Three million people have fled the country, while those in Ukrainian cities have been left without food, water and basic medical supplies. Russian forces have also targeted sites of cultural significance in Ukraine, as well as religious sites and academic institutions. “Nothing is off limits to them,” Markarova said, as she also accused Russia of committing war crimes.

Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia joined Markarova in calling for more military aid from other countries, as well as further sanctions on the Russian government to isolate it completely on the international stage.

"What good is it if you feed the stomachs of these children, these women, these people in cities, if their brains are going to be blown out? If their apartment buildings are going to be rendered into rubble?” Gudziak said.

The pair both praised the efforts of journalists on the ground in Ukraine in the face of a sustained Russian propaganda campaign, who have documented the resistance of Ukraine’s forces and the suffering of its citizens.

Ukraine faces long odds against Russia’s enormous military, but so far has resisted being overrun, Markarova said, adding the country will not surrender and will fight on.

“We will fight for our homes,” Markarova said. “We will continue this fight. And all we need from all our partners is an immediate increase in military support, in order to be able to sustain this fight.”

In the meantime, negotiations over an immediate ceasefire and the opening of corridors to allow humanitarian assistance have been ongoing but have made little apparent progress, Markarova said. She put the onus on Russia to lay down their weapons as part of any negotiations.

“There is only one person that started it — Mr. Putin — and only one person that can stop it,” Markarova said.

Markarova also warned of the knock-on effects on the rest of the world if Russia defeats Ukraine, even as Gudziak said the invasion has brought a “new unity, new purpose in the European Union.”

“The only risk that there is from Ukraine to Russia is that we have chosen to be European, democratic and free,” Markarova said. “If that is something that scares the Russian Federation, none of us are safe.”