The letter of the Ukrainian first lady in which she asks the world to help those who escape war

Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska posted a new open letter on her official Instagram account, entitled “An Open Letter to the First Ladies and Gentlemen of the World,” in which she asks her peers for help in helping the Ukrainian population escaping war.

“An open letter to the first ladies of the world. I will never forget that August day in peaceful Kiev when we held the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen for the first time. I will not forget our meeting at the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, a monument of 11th century Ukrainian architecture and a famous tourist spot of the capital,” the letter says.

The letter begins with a thank you from Zelenska and says that she dreams “of the opportunity to embrace everyone in person”.

“We may be miles apart from fronts of war, but I feel closer to you than ever. I do this because I listen to your questions every day: “What else can we do for Ukraine?” After all, you know that while Ukraine is now defending itself, it is also protecting the peace of the whole world, keeping the war away from you at the gates of Europe,” the letter says.

Faced with the constant question of the leaders of what they could do for the country in the midst of the conflict, the first lady listed a number of things that would greatly help the Ukrainian population.

In the first place he asked that they keep Ukrainians warm and, according to Zelenska, he not only talks about “a roof over their heads and food”, but also to help them get work and education for their children. On the other hand, he asked his peers that those who fled the war be able to temporarily become citizens of their respective countries. “Let them become your citizens temporarily, temporarily because they will definitely return. They will return to Ukraine with their warmth in their hearts.”

He also implored that they should save among all humanitarian corridors. “We need our joint statement to the Red Cross, UNICEF, OSCE with one demand: to provide Ukraine with such corridors! Let these respected organizations finally fulfill their direct duty and responsibility: to save people! ”, he writes.

Finally, he explained that since the beginning of the Russian invasion on February 24, 4,300 children were born and that they arrived in this world in basements, subways, bomb shelters and “sometimes in bombed maternity homes, as happened the other day in Mariupol”. He also said that “these guys never saw a peaceful sky. Just imagine that!”

Olena said that children “have the right to have peace. A peace that depends on me and you.”

“That's why we created a summit first, isn't it? and when we win, we will meet again in peaceful and sunny Kiev. Let's agree on that, without doubt or hesitation, Kiev is waiting!” , ended.

THE FIGURES

In the past 20 days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, nearly 1.4 million children have been forced to flee the country, about 55 a minute or “practically one child per second,” said James Elder, a UNICEF spokesman, at a press conference in Geneva.

In total, more than 3 million people have fled Ukraine, according to the latest report by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

“This crisis, because of its speed and magnitude, is unprecedented since World War II,” Elder said.

The spokesman stressed that children are “at risk of being separated from their parents, suffering violence, being sexually exploited or serving human trafficking”.

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