In a statement, Denys Mykhailiuk, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Embassy of Ukraine in Malaysia, said the initiative launched by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in November 2022 has provided 286,000 tons of food, including wheat, flour, and vegetable oil, to 12 countries in Africa and Asia in less than a year.

“For the Philippines, this program holds significant importance. Supporting Ukraine’s agricultural sector not only guarantees access to high-quality products but also reinforces a vital source of food supply for the region,” said Mykhailiuk.

Before the war, Ukraine was a leading global food producer, supplying agricultural products to 400 million people annually. It accounted for 47% of the world’s sunflower oil production, 17% of barley, 14% of corn, and 10% of wheat, the Ukrainian diplomat said.

These commodities are essential to the Philippines, where bread, noodles, and other wheat-based products are dietary staples, he said.

“Food security is a global concern, and disruptions to Ukraine’s food supply chains have placed millions at risk, including Filipinos,” said Mykhailiuk.

He said the choice to support “Grain from Ukraine” is a choice to invest in a stable, secure, and food-sufficient world—a cause that the Philippines cannot afford to overlook.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, disruptions to Ukrainian agricultural exports have intensified the global food crisis. Targeted strikes on ports, maritime blockades, and the destruction of over 300,000 tons of grain by October 2023 have left millions at risk of hunger. The World Food Program estimates that 345 million people worldwide face food insecurity, with 70 million directly impacted by the disruption of Ukraine’s food supply chains.

As the global food crisis deepens, Ukraine’s “Grain from Ukraine” initiative has emerged as a vital lifeline for nations grappling with food insecurity.

Mykhailiuk said that for a country heavily reliant on imported agricultural products, the Philippines’ support of this initiative is also a humanitarian act and a strategic move to safeguard national food security and strengthen global solidarity.

In Asia, where Ukrainian grains have long been integral to diets and food systems, the impact of the war in Ukraine has been particularly severe.

The Philippines, a net importer of wheat and other grains, has felt the ripple effects of this crisis in higher prices and reduced availability of staple foods.

Participating in “Grain from Ukraine,” the Philippines also strengthens regional and global partnerships.

Mykhailiuk said the initiative is an inspiring example of resilience in the face of war and a stand against war-induced hunger and instability. He said it aligns with the Philippines’ advocacy for peace and shared responsibility in global challenges.

As Ukraine calls for more global partners to join its fight against hunger, the Philippines has an opportunity to take a leading role in Asia.

“Together, we can ensure that no Filipino—or anyone around the world—suffers from hunger caused by war. By standing with Ukraine and supporting its farmers, nations take a crucial step toward creating a resilient and food-secure future,” Mykhailiuk added.

With Russia’s unabated aggression that has already been dragging for three years, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Russia’s thirst for blood is unabated as it has always been a pleasure for them to burn. He also underscored that Russia is run by men who want to make it a norm – burning lives, destroying cities and villages, dividing people and erasing national borders through war.

Zelenskyy also pointed out that no nation can stop such war alone, unaided, hence the active participation of world leaders is much needed.

Speaking from Kharkiv, a city in the east of Ukraine, the Ukrainian president bared that the city currently being attacked by Russian militia is very close to the border of Russia. And Ukraine is still holding on the line as the Russian aggression is already on its third year and Ukrainians and the people living in Ukraine are in constant terror.

With more than a million people living in the city, every night and every day the Russian army is shelling the city. mostly with S-300 missiles. These are air defense missiles that Russia employs to terrorize the land and have destroyed all districts or streets in Kharkiv.

Zelenskyy described that after the Russian strikes on hundreds of their cities and villages. Some of them, once booming with life, are now burnt to ashes, peopleless. A burnt-out emptiness is the most horrible consequence of war. A war that Ukraine didn’t want and hasn’t provoked, and in which is why Ukraine is defending itself from Russian attempts to seize our resources and territories and destroy our national identity. And the world sees it.

The Ukrainian president also condemned Russia anew because it captured the nuclear power plant and is openly using it for radiation blackmail. There is nothing that wouldn’t become a weapon for Russia including hunger, and exactly this the world felt when Ukraine was hit by a Russian naval blockade. Russia is the only source of aggression and constantly tries to expand the war.

Does Russia want a dialogue? Ukraine has the world’s largest experience of lies from Russia during negotiations… Lies that in particular were Russian cover-ups for preparing this war. And that’s exactly why global efforts are needed – the Global Peace Summit of the leaders whom Russia won’t be able to deceive. Summit that will show who in the world really wants to end the war and not just claim the ceasefire which will inevitably be broken by Russian rockets and artillery just like it was dozens, dozens of times before.

Russia’s adamant stand and continuous aggression against Ukraine led to the call of President Zelenskyy for a Peace Summit and together with Switzerland. The Peace Summit is scheduled to happen on June 15, 2024.

More than 80 countries are already confirmed to attend the Peace Summit. President Zelenskyy believes that this kind of peace formula will help bring peace.

Furthermore, Zelenskyy is appealing to the world leaders who haven’t joined the Global Peace Summit to join. He especially called on US President Joe Biden, and China’s President Xi Jinping to support and participate in this summit.

#GlobalPeaceSummit #PeaceSummit #VolodymyrZelenskyy #PresidentZelenskyy #Ukraine #Switzerland #Kharkiv #Ukrainians #StopRussianAggression #StandWithUkraine

Thousands of Ukrainians flee after Russian forces blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant on June 6.

This Kakhovka dam is one of the largest energy facilities and contains about 18 million cubic meters of water. The dam supplies fresh water for most of southeastern Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula. The flooding disaster will unfold over the next 11 hours. 

• This falls into genocide: 16,000 people from 80 settlements are at risk of flooding and are to be evacuated.
• All the animals in the “Kazkova Dibrova” zoo in Kherson region have died due to flooding already. Millions of creatures of wild nature are doomed.
• Ecocide: this terrorist act threatens an environmental disaster for southern Ukraine. The Russians will be responsible for the possible deprivation of drinking water for people in the south of Kherson region and in Crimea, the possible destruction of some settlements and the biosphere. 
• Nuclear black mail: this Russian attack could leave the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant without water supply for cooling, since the water for Zaporizhzhya is supplied exactly from the Kakhovka reservoir.

Official statement by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine:

“Russian terrorists. The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam only confirms for the whole world that they must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land. Not a single meter should be left to them, because they use every meter for terror. It’s only Ukraine’s victory that will return security. And this victory will come. The terrorists will not be able to stop Ukraine with water, missiles, or anything else.”

Anyone who still thinks that it is possible to talk about something with the aggressor should remember the streams of dirty water that wash away the homes of people who were sleeping peacefully. There can only be one end to the criminal Russian regime – defeat and a tribunal.

“We call upon all countries to condemn this barbaric ecocide act of Russia. Russia must be held accountable for the crimes and destruction in Ukraine.” – Denys Mykhailiuk, Chargé d’affaires a.i., Embassy of Ukraine in Malaysia

A strong element of political universalism is characteristic of few European nations. The oldest and most obvious is the political heritage of Germany, which, since the proclamation of the Holy Roman Empire in the 10th century, carried the idea of Europe’s political unity for eight hundred years. This German universalism was emblazoned, for example, by Dante in the famous stanzas of  The Divine Comedy, in which the tragic figure of Emperor Henry VII is apotheosised. To a large extent, German universalism has determined the course of European history from the earliest times, shaping the well-known, and sometimes troublesome for other nations, German sense of responsibility for the entire continent. Without understanding the nature of this German phenomenon, it is essentially impossible to grasp what the European Union is and how it operates today.

Only slightly younger are two other European universalisms, dismissed as insignificant due to being peripheral: Scandinavian and Polish. Historically, they are rooted in the period of great transition between the Middle Ages and the modern era. Two 14th-century unions – the Scandinavian one, agreed at Kalmar Castle in Sweden, and the Polish-Lithuanian one, entered into at the Kreva Castle in Belarus – mark the beginnings of these two universalisms, crucial to the shape of Europe. To this day, the Kalmar Union remains a reference point for the deep sense of political solidarity that we see among Scandinavians on a daily basis. Meanwhile, the Union of Krevo, a political welding of Poles, Ukrainians, Belarusians and Lithuanians, created the most enduring state in Central and Eastern Europe, lasting for four centuries.

The phenomenon of this union statehood was that it imposed on large parts of Eastern Europe (as far as today’s Donbas over which a bloody war is being fought) a political order that was unusual for the time, based on noble democracy, the rule of law and religious tolerance. From a historical perspective, we can say that the very existence of this union state ‘pushed’ the eastern Tatar despotisms, that had subjugated the whole of Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, and the nascent Muscovite autocracy to the farthest frontiers. Simultaneously, the political and military power of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (as the citizens of the time called their state) created for a long time a kind of ‘security zone’ that allowed the civilisational development of Central and Eastern Europe. In the 18th century, when this union state lost its ability to guarantee the safety of its vast territory, a common historical catastrophe occurred for Poles, Ukrainians, Belarusians and Lithuanians. For the many years that followed, all these peoples fell under the rule of tyrannies that not only knew nothing of the idea of individual freedom but also used violence to destroy the subjugated nations and deprive them of their identity.

Regardless of the disputes and civil wars that the four united peoples have fought throughout history, those four centuries have shaped their national characters. They gave rise to the Polish Solidarity movement, which played a key role in shaping Europe’s new identity at the end of the 20th century, as well as to the current heroic defence of Ukrainian freedom against new Moscow’s onslaught. The nations that once formed the vast Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth have learned over the centuries that they may simply cease to exist if they fail to defend themselves against the constant threat from the East. That is why their contemporary political aspiration is to rebuild the former ‘security zone’ that their common statehood once ensured. Without this aspiration, the success of Poland’s and Lithuania’s efforts to join NATO in the 1990s would not have been possible, especially as there was perhaps a false impression at the time that peace in Europe was permanent and that Moscow was finally converging with the West. Nor, without this aspiration, would President Zelensky be now calling persistently for the ever-closed doors of the Western alliance to be opened to Ukraine.

All in all, the invaluable legacy of that union state is the strong Eastern European universalism that has now been revived. It is no coincidence that the crucial moment for the Ukrainians to finally decide to throw off Russian rule was when a Moscow-friendly president tried to block their country’s association with the European Union. That is the genesis of the Euromaidan 2013 and the subsequent Moscow invasion. It is indeed rare and distinctive that a country fighting for its national independence should, at the same time, demonstrate such a strong desire to participate in the supranational political order created by democratic Europe and America after the Second World War. Indeed, it is precisely the experience of the former supranational republic that tells Ukrainians that without some kind of universalist security order in Eastern Europe, a free Ukraine may once again prove to be an impermanent entity, a ‘seasonal state’.

As for Poland, one could paraphrase Thomas Mann and apply to the Poles what that great writer wrote about his German people: “A thing that is Polish, in particular, means a thing that is beyond Polish”. Polish universalism is somewhat akin to German universalism, except that it always looks to the east of Europe. In the Polish tradition, this style of political thought is sometimes called ‘Prometheism’. According to this belief, widespread in Poland for centuries, Polish security is the same as the security of the whole of Eastern Europe. This essentially pragmatic conviction is expressed in the famous traditional Polish motto, ‘For our freedom and yours’.

Hence, for Poles, there is no more important question in European politics today than whether Eastern Europe, and Ukraine in particular, will finally be included in the Euro-Atlantic security zone as a result of the ongoing war. After all, the Western Alliance is carrying out the same mission of security and civilisational development that the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a union of Poles, Ukrainians, Belarusians and Lithuanians, carried out in previous centuries. Let us therefore say this very clearly: If, as a result of the current war, this American-European alliance guaranteeing freedom and security is not extended eastwards, it will be a historic defeat for the entire Eastern European universalism. In such a case, not only Ukraine but also Poland would have lost this war catastrophically in terms of their political future – regardless of how the military action developed.

Editor’s Note:

Jan Rokita is a Political philosopher. Law graduate of Jagiellonian University. Solidarity opposition activist, Sejm Deputy between 1989-2007, former Chairman of the Civic Platform Parliamentary Club. Currently, an academic lecturer.

Published in cooperation with the Polish monthly “Wszystko co Najważniejsze” as part of a historical project run jointly with the Institute of National Remembrance and the Polish National Foundation.

By Ambassador Olexander Nechytaylo, Non-resident Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of the Philippines 

The unprovoked Russian aggression against Ukraine has been topping international headlines for more than a month now. Humankind is witnessing with disbelief the horrific crimes taking place in the middle of the 21^st century Europe. Cruel, unjust and unnecessary war imposed on the world by the Kremlin already resulted in a tremendous humanitarian crisis with thousands of civilian casualties, 6.5 million internally displaced persons in Ukraine and another 3,5 million seeking refuge in the neighbouring countries. It is a tragedy caused by the sick imperial ambitions of an economically underdeveloped, but overstuffed with nuclear warheads regime living in a nostalgic hallucination. The Bucha massacre, a small town near Kyiv, where a mass burial site was discovered after the Russian retreat with hundreds of corpses, bodies of raped women and girls, tortured and executed civilians, some with their hands tied, lying on the streets, has already become a gruesome symbol of Putin’s vision of ‘neutrality’ and ‘denazification’ for Ukraine and brought back the memories of Srebrenica. Yet, there are voices of various ‘experts’ that are relentlessly pushing around subtle messages of propaganda that mislead, instil doubts, and distract from the burning fire. 

It is imperative to understand some basics of international relations before attempting to indulge into all sorts of theoretical discourse based on the false narratives. The principles of non-use of force, peaceful settlement of disputes, non-intervention, self-determination and sovereign equality are the pillars of the contemporary world order. In other words, each country’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity are sacred. Every nation is equal: no matter how big or small. 

Let us separate the wheat of truth from the chaff of propaganda and look at what is happening through the prism of undeniable facts. 

Fact 1. By invading Ukraine Moscow blatantly violated not only the international law and the UN Charter, but also the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in South East Asia and at least a dozen more bilateral and multilateral agreements that Russia is a party to.

Fact 2. While waging a war on Ukraine, the Russian military is deliberately targeting civilians, residential homes, critical infrastructure, medical facilities and shelters. Foreign Minister Lavrov at a press conference in Antalya did not even try to conceal it: Russian pilots purposely bombed the maternity hospital in Mariupol. But the Bucha tragedy puts the whole magnitude and brutality of crimes committed by the Russian military into entirely new dimension. There is an urgent need to establish a special international tribunal in response to the multiple violations of the international humanitarian law by the occupiers. 

Fact 3. Ukraine is a democracy with the rule of law, where people freely exercise their rights and freedoms. For over more than fifteen centuries’ history even at its darkest hours, Ukrainians proved that freedom and social justice are the core values embedded in our DNA. This sentiment can certainly resonate with the people in the Philippines that have a proud history of their own struggle for independence. Jose Rizal once said: “I don’t see why I should bow my head when I could hold it high, or place it in the hands of my enemies when I can defeat them.” At a closer look one may find some striking similarities between him and President Zelenskyy, particularly when it comes to the ability to inspire and lead the nation during the pivotal moments of its history.

Fact 4. Ukraine and the Philippines enjoy excellent bilateral relations. This month our countries mark the 30^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties. I feel immensely honoured and privileged to represent my country here as Ambassador. Ever since my first trip to Manila back in 1997, I fell in love with the kind, compassionate and hard-working people, and made friendships that I cherish until now. Essentially, we share the same values, and this is one of the reasons why there are so many people-to-people connections. Today Ukraine is fighting for its freedom again. The Philippines’ consistent support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is very important to us. We are equally grateful for the most recent decision to open the door to Ukrainians, who might temporarily need a safe place in the midst of this raging war: this is something we will never forget. 

The audacity of the aggressor is a clear signal that sanctions against Russia are not enough – President’s address

Ukrainians!

Today is Forgiveness Sunday.

A day when we always apologized. To each other. To all people. To God.

But today, it seems, many have not mentioned this day at all.

Have not mentioned the obligatory words: “Forgive me.”

And the obligatory answer: “God forgives, and I forgive.”

These words seem to have lost their meaning today.

At least in part.

After everything we went through.

We will not forgive the destroyed houses.

We will not forgive the missile that our air defense shot down over Okhmatdyt today. And more than five hundred other such missiles that hit our land. All over Ukraine. Hit our people and children.

We will not forgive the shooting of unarmed people.

Destruction of our infrastructure.

We. Will. Not. Forgive.

Hundreds and hundreds of victims.

Thousands and thousands of sufferings.

And God will not forgive.

Not today. Not tomorrow. Never.

And instead of Forgiveness, there will be a Day of Judgment.

I’m sure of it.

It seems everything Russian servicemen have already done is still not enough for them.

Not enough ruined destinies. Mutilated lives.

They want to kill even more.

Tomorrow Russia has officially announced the shelling of our territory. Our enterprises. Defense complex.

Most were built decades ago. By the Soviet government. Built in cities.

And now they are in the middle of an ordinary urban environment.

Thousands of people work there. Hundreds of thousands live nearby.

This is murder. Deliberate murder.

And I have not heard a reaction from any world leader today. From any Western politician.

Reaction to this announcement.

Think about the sense of impunity of the invaders: they announce their planned atrocities.

Why?

Because there is no reaction. Because there is silence.

Not a word, as if Western leaders have dissolved tonight. For this day.

I hope that at least tomorrow you will notice it.

React.

Say something.

We know exactly who prepared this attack. We know exactly how orders will follow the vertical command. We know everything.

And we will not forgive anything.

The Tribunal is waiting for you. And God’s judgment, if you try to hide.

The audacity of the aggressor is a clear signal to the West that sanctions against Russia are not enough.

Because they didn’t understand. Did not feel. They did not see that the world is really determined.

Really determined to stop this war.

You will not hide from this reality.

You will not hide from new murders in Ukraine.

There was a lot of talk about humanitarian corridors. There were talks every day about the opportunity for people to leave the cities where Russia came. Russian military.

I am grateful to every Ukrainian who stays to defend our cities, even in the encirclement.

Our freedom.

But I also know that there are people who really need to get out. Who cannot stay.

And we heard the promise that there would be humanitarian corridors.

But there are no humanitarian corridors.

Instead of humanitarian corridors, they can only make bloody ones.

A family was killed in Irpen today.

A man, a woman and two children.

Right on the road.

As in the shooting club.

When they were just trying to get out of town. To escape.

The whole family.

How many such families have died in Ukraine!

We will not forgive.

We will not forget.

We will punish everyone who committed atrocities in this war. On our land.

We will find every bastard.

Which shot at our cities, our people. Which bombed our land. Which launched rockets.

Which gave the order and pressed “start”.

There will be no quiet place on this earth for you.

Except for the grave.

Today I decided to award orders to the heads of regional administrations and mayors who have excelled in the defense of their communities.

The Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky of the Third Degree is awarded to:

Head of Kharkiv Regional State Administration Oleh Vasyliovych Syniehubov.

Head of Mykolaiv Regional State Administration Vitalii Oleksandrovych Kim.

Head of Donetsk Regional State Administration Pavlo Oleksandrovych Kyrylenko.

Head of Luhansk Regional State Administration Serhiy Volodymyrovych Haidai.

Head of Chernihiv Regional State Administration Vyacheslav Anatoliyovych Chaus.

Head of Sumy Regional State Administration Dmytro Oleksiyovych Zhyvytskyi.

The Order of Courage is awarded to:

Mayor of Kharkiv Ihor Oleksandrovych Terekhov.

Mayor of Mykolaiv Oleksandr Fedorovych Senkevych.

Mayor of Chernihiv Vladyslav Anatoliyovych Atroshenko.

Mayor of Sumy Oleksandr Mykolayovych Lysenko.

Mayor of Kherson Ihor Viktorovych Kolykhayev.

Mayor of Melitopol Ivan Serhiyovych Fedorov.

Mayor of Nova Kakhovka Volodymyr Ivanovych Kovalenko.

And I decided to award a special title to our heroes, our hero cities. As it has already been once. When we withstood another attack. But a similar attack.

Another invasion. But no less brutal invasion.

Hero cities will be:

Kharkiv.

Chernihiv.

Mariupol.

Kherson.

Hostomel.

Volnovakha.

Glory to Ukraine!

In photo: Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest nuclear plant located in Energodar, Ukraine (Photo from Energoatom)

With the aggressive move of the Russian army by firing from all sides of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the world for immediate action.

In his urgent address, Zelenskyy said that this aggression done by the Russian government endangers the whole world given the fact that if the Nuclear Power Plant blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chornobyl.

“The Russian army has opened fire on Zaporizhzhia NPP. No state except Russia has ever opened fire at nuclear power units. For the first time in human history, a terrorist state has resorted to nuclear terror. Only immediate action can stop Russian troop,” Zelenskyy said.

“Right now Russian tanks are firing upon nuclear units. These tanks are equipped with thermal imagers, which means they know where they are firing, they have been prepared for it,” the head of state said

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has urged Russia to immediately stop shelling Zaporizhzhia NPP and allow firefighters to eliminate the consequences of the attacks, otherwise the continent will face a major disaster. “Russians must IMMEDIATELY cease the fire, allow firefighters, establish a security zone!”

On March 3, 2022, more than 100 military vehicles entered Enerhodar. The city has been defended by more than 20,000 people over several days. On March 3, 2022, Russians fired on the checkpoint and civilians