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Metropolitan Archbishop Borys A. Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia has emphasized the importance of unity in the face of adversity following a tense exchange between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on February 28, 2025. The meeting took place at the White House with Vice President JD Vance also present.
In a statement released on the same day, Metropolitan Gudziak highlighted that "unity rooted in truth has the power to stop evil." He stressed Ukraine's need for international support to protect its people and maintain peace, asserting that Ukrainians are making significant sacrifices for this cause.
The remarks came on the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022. Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishops convened in Canada during this period reaffirmed their belief in "the triumph of God's truth" and underscored that "true peace cannot exist without justice."
Russia's ongoing aggression in Ukraine has been characterized as genocide by two joint reports from the New Lines Institute and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. According to research by Sweden’s Uppsala University, between 174,000 and 420,000 individuals have died since the 2022 invasion, with civilian casualties likely underreported.
The conflict has displaced millions, with approximately 3.7 million people internally displaced within Ukraine and another 6.9 million seeking refuge abroad as reported by the United Nations. The issue extends to children, with at least 19,546 forcibly deported by Russia—a figure that could be significantly higher according to Russian child commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova.
Metropolitan Gudziak expressed gratitude towards U.S. Catholics and others worldwide for their support during these challenging times. He acknowledged that such solidarity empowers Ukrainians to defend their dignity and values against aggression.
He concluded his statement with optimism: “God’s truth will prevail.”
Gina Christian contributed reporting for OSV News.
