Zelensky at Lavra: We believe in God but we rely on our U.S. and EU friends
The president spoke at a prayer breakfast in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, acknowledging the faith of Ukrainians but stating that the nation’s main support in the war comes not from God, but from its Western partners.
On December 6, 2025, Volodymyr Zelensky spoke within the walls of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra at the second “Military Prayer Breakfast.” Despite the religious format of the event, the president dedicated most of his remarks to military support from Western partners, emphasizing: “Ukrainians are a believing nation… but at the same time we rely on our friends – Europe and the United States.”
Zelensky linked the ceremony to two dates – the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the feast of St. Nicholas according to the Western calendar – stating that the best gift for the country would be “an undoubtedly just, decent, and, as everyone says, honest peace,” which, in his words, “no one will give us” and which must be “won.”
At the beginning of his speech, he noted that Ukrainians believe in God, but repeated that his primary reliance is on the Armed Forces and international allies.
“Ukrainians are a believing nation, we deeply believe, we believe in God. We hope for His help, we turn to Him in prayer – each in his own way. But at the same time we rely on ourselves, on our Armed Forces. We rely on our friends, we rely on our partners – Europe, the United States,” the president declared.
According to him, it is precisely the support of the United States, Europe, and “the adequate civilized world” that will determine whether a “just peace” can be achieved.
Meanwhile, speaking in the main sacred site of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – on the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra – Zelensky did not mention the situation surrounding the UOC, its parishes, or the monastery itself. He instead accused Russia of violating “all of God’s commandments.”
As the UOJ reported earlier, on November 22, 2025, an ecumenical religious event dedicated to the memory of the Holodomor victims was held in the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. It was attended by Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife, Andriy Yermak, and other prominent state officials.
