Ukrainians should not count on the war ending any time soon and put their lives on hold until peace returns. This view was expressed by Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Head of the President’s Office. According to her, we must accept the current reality and plan our work, studies, family life and other long-term decisions with the understanding that the war may continue.
Vereshchuk urged people not to wait until «after the war»
In his post on Facebook Vereshchuk she put it as plainly as possible:
«There will be no peace in the foreseeable future. We need to accept this reality and build our lives with it in mind.».
The gist of her statement is not a call to give up hope for peace, but rather a reminder not to put off all life decisions until an indefinite «after the war».
In effect, Vereshchuk is talking about the need for the state and society to adapt to a prolonged period of military threat — by planning work, the economy, education, social policy and personal life in circumstances that may persist for a long time.
Vereshchuk had expressed a similar view on previous occasions
In August 2025, Vereshchuk wrote that, in her view, Ukrainian society was still behaving as though the war were due to end in the near future. At the time, she stated that there were no real signs of a swift end to the hostilities, and that focusing solely on the «post-war» period could undermine the country’s ability to withstand a protracted war.
At the time, Vereshchuk emphasised the resilience of the state and society as one of the key factors in standing up to Russia.
The current statement effectively continues along these lines: it is not enough simply to plan for what is desired a peaceful scenario, but also life in the midst of a protracted war.
This does not mean that Ukraine is walking away from the negotiations
At the same time, Vereshchuk’s statement should not be interpreted as an announcement that diplomatic efforts have ceased.
More 4 October president Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine had agreed to take part in the initiative proposed by the United States tripartite technical meeting Ukraine, the US and Russia. Washington had proposed holding it in the United Arab Emirates or another agreed country by the end of October. At the time of the statement, Kyiv was awaiting a response from Moscow.
Previously, the Head of the President’s Office Kirill Budanov He also spoke about the possibility of a new round of talks and discussions on a gradual reduction in air strikes.
So, two processes are taking place in parallel: Ukraine is taking part in diplomatic efforts, but some government officials are publicly warning the public not to expect a swift end to the war.
Russia continues its massive strikes
Vereshchuk’s statement came after yet another major Russian attack.
On the night of 7 October, Russia launched ballistic and cruise missiles and drones against Ukraine. The Air Force reported that 117 UAVs, five ballistic missiles and 39 cruise missiles had been intercepted. Strikes and falling debris were recorded in a number of regions.
The day before, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian intelligence had information about Russia’s preparations for a large-scale attack, and urged people to respond to air-raid sirens.
