Press Release No: 02/26
24 February 2026
Brussels
On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Conference of European Churches (CEC) reaffirmed its solidarity with the Ukrainian people and churches and voiced support for a peace appeal issued in Kyiv by the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations.
CEC President His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain said, “In view of the terrible, seemingly endless Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, we reiterate that the Conference of European Churches stands with the Ukrainian people, the Ukrainian Churches, and Ukraine in its prayers and in its search for a lasting and just peace.”
The CEC President also highlighted a verse from Psalm 7:1–2: “O Lord my God, in you I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me, or like a lion they will tear me apart; they will drag me away, with no one to rescue.”
In its statement released in Kyiv on 23 February 2026, the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations recalled four years of resistance to Russian military aggression and twelve years of war for Ukraine’s independence. The statement highlighted the immense human suffering caused by the invasion, including loss of life, widespread destruction, displacement, and grave violations of human rights and religious freedom. CEC expressed support for the Council’s call for justice, solidarity, and prayer for a just and lasting peace.
The Council also pointed to the ideological dimension of the war, warning that “at the core of Russia’s aggression… lies the chauvinistic and misanthropic ideology of the ‘Russian world’ (‘Russkiy mir’).”
Calling for global solidarity, the appeal urges faith communities worldwide to join in prayer and support. The CEC President underlined that European churches continue to pray for a just peace in Ukraine. He also called on political and economic powers and institutions to use all diplomatic means to bring Russia to a ceasefire and to binding peace talks.
CEC’s work continues to prioritise peacebuilding in Ukraine through its Pathways to Peace initiative, which brings together European churches to support dialogue, reconciliation, and coordinated Christian responses to the war.
Read full statement of the UCCRO
Learn more about Pathways to Peace
For more information or an interview, please contact:
Naveen Qayyum
Communications Coordinator
Conference of European Churches
Rue Joseph II, 174 B-1000 Brussels
Tel. +32 486 75 82 36
E-mail: naveen@cec-kek.be
Website: www.ceceurope.org
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