Orlando Bloom hailed the “incredible stoic nature” of the Ukrainian people when meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and encouraged him to “go win” the war.
A number of well-known actors and musicians have visited Ukraine since the war with Russia erupted in February 2022.
The 46 year old man british actor is the latest, who visited a children’s center in kyiv on Sunday for his work as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, the United Nations children’s organization.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star also met with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyand told him it was “remarkable to see how you hold this country” and that it was a “true honour” to meet him.
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“[It is] so encouraging in so many ways to see the remarkably stoic nature of the Ukrainian people. And of course your message which I think is reflected in their courage, their determination, their perseverance and their resilience,” he said.
“To see the children, to see in their eyes, it is palpable the anxiety and yet the strength of the Ukrainian people is something truly impressive in truth and, of course, your message is the reason for it.
Mr Zelenskyy told the 46-year-old actor that “we have a good country, we stand by each other”, before adding that his visit to the country “sends a great message”.
Bloom, who last visited Ukraine in 2016, spoke of meeting a family of five who welcomed four more children into their home and said “I hope this is the kind of future for the children of this country” instead of “institutionalized” ways of raising children.
He also reassured Mr Zelenskyy that UNICEF takes the issue of missing children “incredibly seriously, just like the rest of the world is watching”.
The actor, a member of a Buddhist organization since he was 16, also read an excerpt from a message of encouragement from his Japanese mentor who wrote to British youth in 1994.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets actor Orlando Bloom in Kyiv, Ukraine
“I wanted to read it because I think it’s so important and I had written it for you to read as well,” he said.
After reading the post, he said, “You have a strong heart and thank you for all you do. I was reading this every day… I was reading this as a kid just to try to give myself the courage .”
Towards the end of the meeting, Bloom said he had a video of his mother singing the Ukrainian national anthem in English and she said if he met Mr Zelenskyy he should tell her to win.
“Go win”, he said, “Slava Ukraine”.
Bloom shared a clip of the meeting on Instagram, writing, “War is destroying the childhood of Ukrainian children.
“Thousands of schools in Ukraine have been damaged or completely destroyed. Nearly 2.7 million Ukrainian school children are forced to study online or in a mixed format. About 1.5 million Ukrainian boys and girls are at risk to develop depression, anxiety and other psychological problems.
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Mr. Zelenskyy (L) and the Head of the President’s Office, Andriy Yermak (C) speaking with the actor
“We all know what this aggression brought and how large-scale the efforts of the world must be to stop it, to rebuild Ukraine after the war.
“During the meeting, we discussed humanitarian aid projects, reconstruction issues focusing specifically on the interests of children. @unicef and our teams will work in several directions, bring victory closer and restore a happy childhood to Ukrainian children.”
As of March 26, at least 465 children have been killed in Russia’s 13-month war against its neighbor, according to Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office.
In his evening speech after meeting Bloom, the Ukrainian leader said: “He knows what this aggression has brought, how large-scale the efforts of the world must be to stop it, to restore Ukraine after the war”.
