The Culture, Tourism and Public Liaison Commission of Kyiv City Council has considered a petition regarding the inappropriateness of putting up a Christmas tree in Kyiv in wartime and rejected the proposal to refuse from the Christmas tree this year.

However, according to a Friday statement on the city council's website, the commission recommended the relevant departments to take into account all proposals regarding the refusal from using budget funds for this purpose, as well as observing security and energy saving measures.

"During the discussion of the options for putting up the main Christmas tree of the country, we took into account all the above arguments – we are talking about safety, non-use of budget funds and energy saving... Of course, we will make the final decision whether a Christmas tree should be put up depending on the situation. However, I believe that the refusal from one of the main symbols of the celebration of Christmas and New Year will be a wrong signal," the chairman of the commission, Viktoria Mukha, said.

"It is our Christmas tree – the main Christmas tree of the country – that can become a symbol of hope and faith for everyone... This year we will not allow Russian barbarians to steal a holiday from our children. Ukrainian children have already suffered from the horrors of the war," she said.

Deputy Head of Kyiv City State Administration Hanna Starostenko, who is in charge of cultural issues, said that if the city, after consultations with the military, decides to put up a Christmas tree, budget funds will not be spent on this.

"We have already been contacted by philanthropists and socially responsible businesses with an offer to help with putting up and decorating a Christmas tree. They are ready to provide us with the Christmas tree itself, decorations, as well as a generator for lighting the Christmas tree, if such a format is approved… We are also considering the option of switching on the lights on the Christmas tree only on certain days or hours," she said.

Starostenko also said that the city will definitely refuse from organizing a festive fair and concerts near the main Christmas tree.

"Of course, it is inappropriate to hold fairs and concerts this year. We are considering the possibility of putting up the main Christmas tree of the country as a symbol of the New Year and Christmas miracle and our invincibility," she said.

According to her, there are now around 300,000 children in Kyiv, including those who moved to the capital in connection with Russia's full-scale aggression, as well as children who lost one of their parents during the war, and positive emotions are very important to them.

The Municipal Security Department said that the decision on putting up the country's main Christmas tree will be made following consultations with the command of the defense forces of Kyiv.

If the Christmas tree is put up, the city, together with law enforcement officers, will take care of security measures, Kyiv City State Administration said.