Kallas tells this story in part to underline the message she has been repeating like a mantra ever since Russia invaded Ukraine: Peace does not always mean peace. "When World War II ended, Western Europe began rebuilding their countries. But for us in Eastern Europe, Stalinism continued. The deportations, the oppression and the killings, and the deprivation." Every child knows that war is awful, Kallas says. And she never tires of explaining to those demanding that Ukraine negotiate peace with Russia as rapidly as possible what it feels like when violence continues even after the bombs stop falling.
