Bishop Mykola Bychok participated in an event dedicated to the recovery of Ukraine in Canberra
On 24 November 2025, a presentation of the new report by the John Curtin Research Centre (JCRC), titled “Winning the Peace: Australia and Ukraine’s Recovery” and authored by Dr Dominic Meagher, took place in Canberra. The event was held at the Parliament of Australia and focused on a key question: what role should Australia play in the reconstruction of Ukraine?
His Eminence Mykola Cardinal Bychok also attended the event, having been invited by Senator Deborah O’Neill. Among the guests was the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Australia, Mr Vasyl Myroshnychenko.
In his address, JCRC Executive Director Dr. Nick Dyrenfurth emphasised that Australia faces a choice: to remain a passive observer or to become a respected partner with Ukraine in one of the largest recovery efforts since the Second World War. According to the expert, an active commitment to supporting Ukraine will shape Australia’s future—its security, competitiveness, and international standing for decades to come. The report proposes a number of concrete steps: strengthening Australia’s diplomatic presence in Kyiv, engaging Australian specialists in energy, logistics, agriculture, and demining, as well as convening an Australia—Ukraine Recovery Conference in 2026.
Addressing those present, Cardinal Mykola first expressed his gratitude for the support of the Australian government and the wider public, which has continued since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He stressed that Ukraine is currently faced with an extremely difficult choice: “For us, it is very important what the price of this peace will be for Ukrainians and what security guarantees Ukraine will have to prevent aggression from repeating in the future.” His Eminence recalled the recent remembrance of the victims of the Holodomor, a tragedy that claimed the lives of seven to ten million Ukrainians, and also drew attention to current tragic events: “Four days ago, nine russian missiles struck my hometown of Ternopil — that is the answer to how much russia wants peace,” the Cardinal concluded.
The founder of United Ukraine Appeal, Alex Vynokur, emphasised that by helping Ukraine “win the peace, we defend the very values that underpin our own society.”
