The world was presented with a jarring study in contrast this week, as President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of a new “momentum for peace” while, miles away, medical staff in Kharkiv treated 57 people injured in a Russian bombing of their city hospital. This juxtaposition lies at the heart of Ukraine’s desperate plea for action.
On one hand, there is the voice of diplomacy. Zelensky, fresh from a congratulatory call with US President Donald Trump, has been touting the Gaza peace deal as a beacon of hope. He speaks of “outstanding achievements” and insists that “the war in Europe can also be brought to an end.”
On the other hand, there is the deafening sound of war. Zelensky himself provided the grim counterpoint to his own hopeful words, detailing the “aerial terror” that continues unabated. The attack on the Kharkiv hospital is the most visceral example, a direct assault on a place of healing.
Zelensky is intentionally weaving these two threads together. He is using the hope generated by the Gaza deal to make the horror of the Kharkiv bombing seem even more unacceptable. He is effectively asking the world: how can we celebrate one peace while we tolerate this?
This strategy of contrast is designed to create a sense of moral and political urgency. It is a plea to close the gap between the world we wish for and the world that exists for Ukrainians, a gap that can only be closed, he argues, through strength and decisive leadership.