From Solidarity to Scrutiny: How Ukraine's View on Palestine Is Evolving Amid War and Shifting Alliances

KYIV – In the autumn of 2023, as Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza, Ukraine’s official stance was one of clear solidarity. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed support, and billboards adorned with Israeli flags illuminated central Kyiv—a visual echo of the widespread Western position at the time.

Yet, beneath this surface, a more complicated conversation was brewing. For individuals like Hashem, a Gaza-born doctor who has lived in Ukraine for nearly a decade, the disparity in global response was painfully familiar. “A Ukrainian passport opens doors; a Palestinian identity closes them,” he told Al Jazeera, speaking on condition of anonymity. “This isn’t about comparing suffering, but about asking why the principle of universal human rights seems to depend on one’s nationality.”

As Israel’s offensive stretched from weeks into months, culminating in what the International Court of Justice has considered a plausible case of genocide, segments of Ukrainian society began to reassess. Yuliia Kishchuk, a researcher and one of 300 Ukrainian scholars, artists, and activists to sign an open letter in solidarity with Palestinians, notes a turning point. “The engineered starvation in Gaza forced many here to look again,” she says. “For Ukrainians, it evoked memories of the Holodomor—the Soviet-era famine we recognize as a genocide.”

This reflection gained momentum as pro-Palestinian protests, though modest, appeared in Kyiv, and mainstream media increasingly covered Palestinian perspectives. However, Kishchuk points out that Russia’s intensified winter bombardment of Ukrainian energy infrastructure, leaving millions without heat and power, has temporarily diverted public attention and stalled organized activism.

The geopolitical landscape has also shifted. Perceptions of the United States, Ukraine’s chief ally, have grown more skeptical. Many now view Washington’s support as transactional, a sentiment fueled by a controversial minerals deal granting the U.S. access to Ukrainian resources and by former President Trump’s conciliatory rhetoric toward Moscow. “We once felt supported; now some see an imperial power,” Kishchuk observes, drawing a connection to how Global South nations, including Palestine, have historically been treated as resource bases.

Officially, Kyiv’s posture has moderated. In 2024, President Zelenskyy affirmed Ukraine’s recognition of both Israeli and Palestinian states. By July, Kyiv had sent 1,000 tonnes of wheat flour to Palestinian territories as aid. In a significant diplomatic move, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry later condemned an Israeli attack on Qatar as a violation of international law.

For those living between both crises, the journey has been jarring. Aaisha Aroggi, 25, displaced ten times in Gaza before reaching Kyiv where her brother lives, initially found solace. “It felt like a haven after Gaza,” she says. Now, with Russian missiles striking Ukrainian cities, she reflects, “War has the same face everywhere.” Yet, she sees change: Ukrainian students now approach her to ask about Gaza and express support. “They are beginning to understand,” she notes.

Despite these gradual shifts, Hashem warns against overlooking persistent double standards. “The system still decides whose suffering matters more,” he says. Yet, in Ukraine’s own moment of vulnerability, he finds a fragile hope for principled solidarity. “When support wavers, it can reveal that solidarity based on politics is fleeting. The kind that lasts is built on shared principles of justice.”

Voices from the Debate

Mikhail Borodin, 42, History Teacher in Lviv: “This is a necessary, if painful, discussion. For years, our narrative was tied to the West's. Now, experiencing uncertainty in our own support, we’re forced to see other conflicts through a less politicized lens. The parallel to the Holodomor is not casual—it’s a moral reckoning.”

Anya Petrova, 28, Software Developer in Kyiv: “It’s shocking to see how quickly our government’s tone changed once American politics shifted. It makes you question all our alliances. Are we just a pawn? The Palestinian cause resonates because it exposes the hypocrisy of ‘rules-based orders’ that powerful countries preach but don’t follow.”

Dmytro Kozak, 55, Retired Diplomat in Odesa: “This emotional turn is dangerous and naive. Our primary enemy is in Moscow, not Washington. Diverting public sympathy towards Palestine risks alienating crucial allies like Israel and segments of the U.S. Congress. This is not the time for moral grandstanding; it’s a time for strategic survival.”

Kateryna Melnyk, 33, NGO Worker in Kharkiv: “The sheer hypocrisy is breathtaking! We demand the world sees our suffering as unique, yet many here refused to see Palestine’s. Now that our aid is debated in Congress, we cry foul? Solidarity must be unconditional, or it’s just another transaction. Our government’s initial full-throated support for Israel was a moral failure.”