We absolutely deny the logic of "appeasement" when they offer to "surrender" a certain territory to Putin in exchange for the promise of peace. Such logic never leads to peace! The experience of the" Munich conspiracy", when Hitler was given the Sudetenland in exchange for the promise of Peace, shows that the aggressor's appetite for victories only increases. Moreover, there are no uninhabited territories in Ukraine. People live on all lands. Are we offered to give up our citizens to the totalitarian power of Russia? This approach is absolutely unacceptable in the modern world.
The Primate of the OCU, Metropolitan Epifaniy, said this in the speech he delivered on June 15 during the visit to Berlin as part of the event "Religious Communities of Ukraine and the Russian Full-Scale War".
"We want the peoples of Europe not to know from their own experience what we know, what the Ukrainian people know. Therefore, together we must stop the evil of Russian aggression so that this aggression does not move further into Europe. We are fighting for democracy and freedom not only for ourselves but for the whole of Europe. And we should not think that if Putin succeeds, the wall will pass somewhere on our lands. This wall may reappear here in the center of Europe. Only together, only by joining forces, can we defeat and stop this evil and prevent a new division of Europe.
The Ukrainian people have a strong spirit and will to fight. We were given a few days to lose, and we have been fighting for more than three months – and we will continue to fight. After all, we know what to expect from the Russian occupation – the entire territory that Putin will seize will become "Bucha" and a "bloody land".
That is why we ask for all possible assistance from the democratic world, the European Union, and Germany in particular. The more aid is provided and the sooner it arrives, the sooner we will be able to reject the aggressor and regain sovereignty over our territory," the Metropolitan stressed in his speech.
The Primate of the OCU assured that representatives of the religious community of Ukraine demonstrate unity in the face of war and aggression, and show that there are no religious, national or other internal reasons for the conflict. The only reason, Metropolitan Epifaniy notes, is external – Putin's desire to restore the "Russian Empire" and restore the "Yalta system" of dividing Europe and the world.
Metropolitan Epifaniy once again assured that the religious communities of Ukraine fully support and bless the course of Ukraine's European integration: "the issue of granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for EU membership will soon be resolved. We want to show support for the candidate application and bless this good cause," the Metropolitan of the OCU emphasized.
He asked for prayers for Ukraine, thanked for humanitarian assistance, financial assistance, and caring for refugees, and called for even more help with increased sanctions and weapons.