Ukrainian parliament member talks about what it’s like to spend Christmas at war : NPR

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

To find out more about current life in the capital kyiv, we contact Lesya Zaburanna. She told me that Christmas plans had moved forward despite near-constant Russian missile and drone attacks.

LESYA ZABURANNA: Well, unfortunately, many areas and many districts in Kyiv currently have only three hours of electricity per day.

FADEL: Zaburanna is a wife, mother and member of the Ukrainian Parliament. Over the years since Russia’s full-scale invasion, she has participated in numerous delegations to the United States, trips aimed at convincing congressional lawmakers to provide more weapons, money and aid to Ukraine. So I asked him, since President Trump has received such support from Ukraine, what have his conversations with members of the Republican Party been like?

ZABURANNA: When I was in Washington at the beginning of 2025, in February, when we met with the representatives of the Republican Party, they were more supportive just of the policies of the new administration, and they told us that we also need to find the solution with a new administration. But now, many members of Congress, many senators in the Republican Party are willing to work with our government, with our Parliament. And they are more independent.

FADEL: They are more independent of the president in their vision of how to deal with Ukraine.

ZABURANNA: Yes. From the administration, yes.

FADEL: Was there a conversation or moment with a particular legislator that stood out to you and exemplifies what you described to me?

ZABURANNA: Yes. And in fact, while attending the intelligence forum in Washington, DC, two weeks ago, I met with Senator Tallis (ph), from the Republican Party.

FADEL: Are you referring to Senator Thom Tillis?

ZABURANNA: Yes.

FADEL: Okay.

ZABURANNA: And we continue to discuss sanctions pressures. We continue to discuss military support and what is most important to us. We asked about security guarantees, and a security treaty with Ukraine ratified by the U.S. Senate would create a long-term obligation under U.S. law. And it is very important for our country.

FADEL: So you see your partners in Congress as more independent and perhaps as people who might take a different path than the current administration?

ZABURANNA: Yes.

FADEL: And, you know, this Christmas week, when you explain to Americans why this is important to them, what would be your message about what Ukraine is going through and why this is important to Americans?

ZABURANNA: First of all, I would like to say that I am a mother and a legislator. And my job is to make sure that the world my child grows up in is ruled by cruelty, not brute force. And Ukraine is not only fighting for itself, because if we do not stop the aggressor together, NATO countries may face Russian aggression in the near future. And most of the support for Ukraine is spent in the United States on American factories, creating American jobs. Regardless, we greatly appreciate all this military and financial support.

FADEL: This is the third Christmas that Ukraine has experienced in the middle of a war, a large-scale Russian invasion. How has celebrating this holiday changed and changed for you and your family?

ZABURANNA: Now I think we feel all these holidays even stronger than ever, because every day we don’t think about our long-term future. We even think every night, every day, are we alive, do we exist. And it’s very difficult from one point of view, but from another point of view, your understanding of independence, of freedom, of your country is much stronger than ever.

FADEL: Ukrainian parliamentarian Lesya Zaburanna joins us from Kyiv. Thank you very much for your time.

ZABURANNA: Thank you very much.

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