Crushing coparenting. Hayden Panettiere and Wladimir Klitschko have a cordial dynamic while raising their 7-year-old daughter, Kaya.
“Hayden is the best mom that she can be despite the custody arrangement,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly, referencing the little one’s primary residence in Ukraine with the 45-year-old former professional boxer. “She video chats with her daughter and checks in on her all the time. She misses her constantly and wishes they weren’t so far apart. There will be a point where she will try to have more custody but now’s not the time and it’s a difficult situation.”
The insider adds that travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic have led to the 32-year-old actress seeing Kaya less than “she used to.”
The former couple got engaged in 2013, welcoming their daughter in December of the following year. The duo split in 2018.
The exes now have “a great coparenting relationship and even friendship,” the source tells Us, noting, “For the sake and well-being of Kaya, they have to be able to coparent amicably. She truly thinks he’s an amazing father and is doing a great job at taking care of her. Hayden just wishes things were different. All she wants to do is embrace her daughter and spend countless amounts of time with her!”
One day after Russia invaded Ukraine, the Heroes alum clarified via Instagram that Kaya is currently “safe and not in” the country.
As for Klitschko, the retired athlete vowed in a LinkedIn essay to volunteer in Ukraine’s army. “We will defend ourselves with all our might and fight for freedom and democracy,” the Olympian wrote on Thursday, February 24. “You can also act. Let not fear seize us; let’s not remain frozen. … Make your voice heard. Make the voice of democracy heard. Say it loud and clear that international law and democracy are under attack, that war is the greatest evil and that life is sacred.”
Panettiere posted a picture with her ex on Friday, February 25, writing about the “strength of the Ukrainian people who … have continued to passionately defend their country over the years.”
The Nashville alum added, “What [Vladimir] Putin is doing is an absolute disgrace! This horrific moment in history sends a terrifying message: the message that in this day and age, in year 2022, it’s okay to violate the rights of free people and allow autocrats like Putin to take whatever they please. I’m praying for my family and friends there and everyone who’s fighting. I wish you had more support and I wish I was there fighting with you! For now, I ask for those of us who can’t be there to stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and show your support for #democracy.”
With reporting by Diana Cooper
