Ukrainian refugees in Edmonton skeptical of ceasefire talks

Ceasefire talks are ramping up between Ukraine and Russia via the United States, but those who have fled the war in Ukraine over the past three years say they’ll believe it when they see it — and even then, there’s skepticism.

“I don’t believe it,” said Nataliia Vynohradova, who has been living in Canada for more than two years after fleeing the war in Ukraine.

“I just know Russian people… it’s not only Putin,” Vynohradova said. “Some of them don’t want this war, but most people in Russia hate Ukrainians.”

She works at DON’YA Ukraine’s Kitchen in north Edmonton (12153 Fort Rd), which is staffed almost entirely by Ukrainian refugees.

The kitchen is filled with women who have fled the horror and violence of war.

The staff are watching the latest talks between the United States and their homeland carefully. They say they’re hopeful — even if they feel they shouldn’t be.

“It’s probably because I want this,” Vynohradova said. “Like in my heart, (I) believe this can be possible but my brain says ‘Probably not.’

Kyiv accepted a U.S. proposal that could lead to a 30-day pause between the two Eastern European countries. Russia has yet to accept.

The agreement comes just a week after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Donald Trump and other American administration officials at the White House in Washington, D.C. in an explosive meeting that went sideways.

The U.S. administration says it will now present the Kremlin with the ceasefire offer. Trump said he hasn’t ruled out pressuring Russia to get on board.

“Hopefully we can get a ceasefire from Russia,” Trump said on Wednesday. “If we do, I think that would be 80 per cent of the way to getting this horrible bloodbath finished.”

The Alberta Council of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress says after three years of war, they hope this is it. They’re looking towards a brighter future.

“People would be trying to somehow normalize a new normal for them. Moving away from the shelling, having some peace of mind,” said president Orysia Boychuk.

The congress believes if the Russians choose not to accept a ceasefire, it sends a bigger message.

“If they choose not to support peace, this will continue to support and solidify the aggressiveness and the irrational behaviour of Russia,” Boychuk said.

The chance for a ceasefire should leave the women of DON’YA Ukraine’s Kitchen hopeful — but they’ve seen too many horrors and heard too many lies to find comfort in the news.

“I really want this peace, I want to come back to Ukraine,” Vynohradova said, explaining she left her parents and siblings behind.