British movie star Orlando Bloom told Ukrainian President President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday to “go win” the war against Russia during a meeting in Kyiv.
In his first visit to Ukraine since 2016, the 46-year-old UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador praised the war-ravaged population and discussed solutions for the traumatized children.
“(It is) so encouraging in so many ways to see just the remarkably stoic nature of the people of Ukraine,” Bloom told Zelensky, the Independent reported.
“And of course, your messaging that I think is reflected in their courage, and in their determination and in their perseverance and resilience,” he added.
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Lord of the Rings” star addressed the plight of the children.
British actor Orlando Bloom meets with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky during his to Kyiv, Ukraine on March 26, 2023. AP
Zelensky (L) with Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak (C) and Bloom during their Sunday meeting in Ukraine. AP“To see the children, to see in their eyes, it’s palpable the anxiety and yet the strength of the Ukrainian people is something that is really awe-inspiring,” said Bloom, who also visited a children’s center and bomb shelters.
“It’s so horrific what’s going on,” he said.
Zelensky wrote on Instagram that “the war is destroying the childhood of Ukrainian children.”
“Thousands of schools in Ukraine have been damaged or completely destroyed. Almost 2.7 million Ukrainian schoolchildren are forced to study online or in a mixed format. About 1.5 million Ukrainian boys and girls are at risk of developing depression, anxiety and other psychological problems,” he wrote.
“We all know what this aggression has brought and how full-scale the world’s efforts must be to stop it, to rebuild Ukraine after the war,” he continued.
“During the meeting, we discussed humanitarian aid projects, issues of reconstruction focused specifically on the interests of children. @unicef and our teams will work in several directions, bring victory closer and return a happy childhood to Ukrainian children,” Zelensky added.
Bloom also shared a video of his visit on Instagram.
“I would have never expected the war to have escalated throughout the country since I was there,” Bloom wrote.
“But today, I was fortunate to hear children’s laughter at a UNICEF-supported Spilno center, a safe, warm, and nurturing space for children to play, learn and receive psychosocial support,” he added.
Zelensky and Bloom during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 26, 2023. APThe Spilno centers offer support for displaced children and their families, according to a UNICEF statement on its website.
More than half a million children and their caregivers have visited a center in the past year, it said.
As of Sunday, at least 465 children have been killed in the 13-month-long war, according to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office.
The two men also discussed Russia’s abduction of children and the need for foster families.
Bloom described meeting a family of five who took four additional kids into their home, saying: “Hopefully that is the kind of future for children in this country” instead of “institutionalized” methods of raising children.
The actor — who has been a member of a Buddhist group since he was a teen — read a message of encouragement from his Japanese mentor who wrote to the youth of the UK in 1994.
“You have a strong heart and thank you for everything you do,” he told the president. “I used to read this every day… I used to read it when I was a child just to try and give myself the courage.”
Bloom later said he has a video of his mother singing the Ukrainian national anthem in English. He said she told him that if he met Zelensky to tell him to win.
“Go win” he said, adding, “Slava Ukraine” — meaning “Glory to Ukraine.”
With Post wires







