Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is attending the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Kananaskis, Alta., to urge world leaders to intensify their pressure on the Russian regime to end its war on its neighbour and to remain in solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

According to reports, the 47-year-old is particularly interested in a one-on-one meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the June 15-17 event. A sideline confab in Alberta will mark the first in-person encounter between the two men since their viral sit-down in St. Peter’s Basilica on April 26 before Pope Francis’ funeral Mass.

The United States has been at the forefront of trying to bring an end to the hostilities that have raged for more than a decade, when Russia first invaded Ukraine's eastern regions, which only intensified with a full-scale invasion in February 2022. 

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Peace talks have been rocky, with Russian President Vladimir Putin seemingly interested only in total victory as the two sides are deadlocked in their battle. Most recently, Russia has taken to launching massive missile and drone strikes on Ukraine, with civilians bearing the brunt of the attacks. Ukraine, for its part, has fought back with strikes of its own on Russian military targets. 

Dr. Adriana Bara, the national director of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) Canada, hopes the summit's attendees value the dignity of the human person as they listen to Zelenskyy.

“We pray that world leaders will be guided not only by political interests but also by compassion and justice,” said Bara. “In Ukraine, we work with people on the ground. We know that the humanitarian needs are enormous from trauma care to shelter and education — the world has created immense suffering. Many of our partners on the ground — churches, Caritas agencies and religious communities — continue to provide critical assistance to displaced families, orphans, elderly and those traumatized by violence.”

The current priority on the ground is to offer moveable health clinics and to support children and adults who are currently displaced within Ukraine. Team members endeavour to collaborate harmoniously with the Patriarchal Curia of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. In addition to the considerable resources this non-profit directs toward humanitarian and educational programs, there is a concerted effort to support seminarians poised to one day lead the Ukrainian Catholic flock.   

Bara’s hope for a G7 outcome is for the participating nations to “support concrete long-term aid through trusted local and face-based partners who are already present on the ground.” She said “faith-based and local organizations are essential as they are often the first to respond and the last to leave,” and that during challenging times “solidarity must become more than a word. It must shape policy and funding decisions that bring real hope to those most in need.”

CNEWA Canada also provides aid and accompaniment in the Middle East (Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria) and Northeast Africa (Egypt, Eritrea and Ethiopia), where war has destablilized numerous regions. 

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Beyond Ukraine, leading up to the high-level summit, different working groups have staged mini-summits to develop documents chockful of policy recommendations for G7 leaders to consider for people in need around the world. The Civil 7 (C7) assemblage was tasked with conceptualizing policy proposals to strengthen humanitarian action and sustainable development. The C7 steering committee includes Dearron Seller-Peritz and Paul Farron of Cooperation Canada, and Kate Gillis of the Metis National Council.

Alluding to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)’s estimate that over 305 million people in the world will require philanthropic assistance to survive in 2025, the C7 group stressed the need to rebuild and protect altruistic funding. 

The group suggested this objective could be effectively realized by bolstering “the agency and voices of local communities within the humanitarian funding ecosystem,” ensuring disbursement allocations are guided by impartial assessments of need rather than by ideology or political interests and championing the fundamental right to aid on the world stage.

C7 declared that the G7 must also ensure that humanitarian and human rights organizations — CNEWA Canada for example — can “operate freely and independently, without political interference, reprisal or risk.”

On the sustainable development front, the memorandum pitches suggestions to combat malnutrition, make health systems more resilient, create pathways for education and enhance agricultural knowledge.

Regarding agriculture, CNEWA Canada is notably working closely with the Holy Family Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius in Gaza to provide packages of vegetables for over 370 farmers. Bara was heartened by a letter she received on June 4 from individuals connected with this initiative.

“Yesterday we received beautiful pictures from people on the ground and with the packages of vegetables,” said Bara. “We just sent a message to our donors to thank them from the bottom of our hearts for helping these people in desperate need.”

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Bara, who formerly directed the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism in Montreal, also expressed appreciation for prayer.

“Prayers are so important,” declared Bara. "Prayers always are (heard). Maybe politicians don't listen to us, but God always does.”