President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a phone call with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

The Head of State congratulated His All-Holiness on Christmas and thanked him for his sincere greetings to the Ukrainian people, as well as for his support for the defense of life and for diplomatic efforts.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that even on Christmas Eve and Christmas night, the Russian army did not stop its brutal strikes against Ukraine, its energy infrastructure, and Ukrainian people. Power outage schedules are currently in effect in many cities and villages.

The President emphasized that today, during the daytime, Russian forces once again struck cities in the east of Ukraine. In Chernihiv, at virtually the same time as the conversation with His All-Holiness, emergency services were providing assistance to people wounded as a result of a Russian drone striking a residential building.

“Sadly, we are dealing with barbarians who, in the end, do not even believe in God. This is what Russia has become – and it is not ashamed of it at all. On the contrary, they are trying to make their thirst for killing the foundation of national pride there in Russia. We will continue countering the Russian war and aggression in every possible way, defending our lives, the lives of Ukrainians, and the lives of all people who suffer because this war is still ongoing,” the Head of State said.

The President thanked His All-Holiness for his readiness to continue supporting all peace efforts.