Ukraine desperately needs a ceasefire this Easter, and then it needs peace

Pope Francis exclaimed on Palm Sunday, “Let the weapons be put down! Let the Easter truce begin.”

The Easter miracle we need now is a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine. A ceasefire that leads to negotiations between Russia and Ukraine for a lasting peace treaty. As Pope Francis emphasized, “a truce that will lead to peace, through real negotiation, that is even disposed to some sacrifice for the good of the people.”

This senseless war has to end. Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine is targeting and killing civilians every day. Millions of Ukrainians have been forced from their homes. Families have lost their livelihoods, and it may take years to recover and rebuild. The war is also leading to a global hunger crisis that places millions at risk of starvation in countries far from the battlefield.

Russian President Vladimir Putin could stop it all. But his war continues. But as Pope Francis recognized: “What victory is there in planting a flag on a pile of rubble?”

Russia has nothing to gain from the war. It is losing lives, too, and its economy is being leveled by the sanctions and the costs of an evil, ruthless war. There must be a ceasefire in Ukraine for

Easter to allow humanitarian aid to reach victims.

Russia’s siege of Mariupol and other Ukrainian cities have left civilians without food, water and other basics needed to survive. This attack also killed aid workers from the charity Caritas. The ceasefire would protect them, too, and would allow humanitarian aid convoys to bring supplies to starving Ukrainians and also carry out evacuations.

Ending the war also will save lives thousands of miles away. Ukraine is a major global wheat supplier. The war has cut off this precious grain, for farmers cannot grow food in a war zone. Alternative food sources must be found, and this increases costs. The U.N. World Food Program (WFP), which gets a lot of its supplies from Ukraine, says its monthly expenses have increased dramatically since the war began.

This is a tragedy because WFP already was having trouble funding the many large relief operations it is undertaking. In Yemen, WFP had to reduce rations for 8 million war victims, even before the war in Ukraine began, Food prices are skyrocketing globally. We need to end the war in Ukraine to prevent famine in the Middle East and Africa.

Everyone can do something to support peace in Ukraine and echo the call for a truce by Pope Francis. You can help by donating to charities providing relief to Ukraine’s war victims, including WFP, CARE, International Committee of the Red Cross, Save the Children and Catholic Relief Services. They need funding for Ukraine relief and to help other nations at risk of famine because of this ongoing conflict.

This Easter pray the guns go silent in Ukraine and peace begins.

William Lambers is the author of “The Road to Peace” and partnered with the U.N. World Food Program on the book “Ending World Hunger.”