A father and son who drove a pickup truck to Ukraine told the Abergavenny Chronicle the situation in Ukraine is “Heart breaking.”

Ashley, from Pembrokeshire, and his son James, living in Abergavenny, have been appealing for donations to ‘Car4Ukraine’ following their first trip to the country earlier this month.

James said he wasn’t prepared for such a warm welcome from Ukrainian border patrol.

“It was this electric moment where we’ve made it into the country, but it is the most welcome I have ever felt. The Ukrainian border guards had smiles on their faces for us straight away, they made it as easy as possible for us to get through.”

The pair delivered their truck to Lviv, in the west. Despite its proximity to the European border, it was clear to them that this was a war being fought by the entire country.

“Lviv is still lively and vibrant, but there is a real sense of wartime feeling about the place. Everyone is trying to do something for the war effort because they have the Russian army at the far end of their country, who have already taken 20% of the land they call home.”

“It’s not burnt-out cars and crumbling buildings. But it is a city on edge. One of the most moving things we saw was the ‘Field of Mars’, which is an expanse of open ground being used to bury the soldiers of Lviv who are killed on the front line."

“There are thousands of flags flying for each grave with pictures of men and women in uniform who have been killed, and it is only getting bigger. That is a real underscore of what is happening in that city.”

Before leaving Ukraine, Ashley and James said that there was a real sense of optimism in Lviv and that seeing the news about Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s negotiation was “Heart breaking.”

“We got off the plane from Krakow to Gatwick and we started to see the news pop up. We just watched it over again, despairing at the injustice.”

“America has kicked the ball into Europe’s court, and I think we are now at the point where we need to be thinking about giving something up for the greater good. Coming back to the UK, we’ve both been struck by a sense of gratitude for how lucky we are. It’s a very normal life [in Lviv] but we will forever be thankful for the freedom of time, space and money.”

Ashley will be driving back to Ukraine before the end of March, while James hopes to volunteer in the country soon. They say you have the chance to put yourself on the right side of history.

“Your vehicle would be the next down on the list, and it would be sent to the front line to make a difference to how this war is concluded.”