How Ukraine is Engaging American Conservative Christians to Sustain Ongoing US Aid

Ukrainian pastors, members of Parliament, and military chaplains attending the National Prayer Breakfast intend to highlight what they describe as systematic religious persecution in Russian-occupied areas according to a report by The New York Times on February 6.

They hope this message will resonate with Trump administration officials and members of Congress expected at the event. Ukraine is sending its largest-ever delegation to a major gathering of influential Christian leaders in Washington this week, hoping to influence Trump administration officials and members of Congress. The delegation aims to highlight religious freedom as a key argument for securing continued US support in its fight against Russian aggression.

Since its inception in 1953, the National Prayer Breakfast has been a prominent fixture on Washington’s social calendar, drawing business executives, religious leaders, and diplomats seeking to influence policymakers. While the event welcomes participants of all faiths, its stated purpose is to unite attendees “in the Spirit of Jesus of Nazareth.”

The Ukrainian delegation will present evidence of repression targeting various Christian denominations in Russian-occupied territories, citing the documented destruction and looting of churches, arrests of clergy, and suppression of non-Orthodox religious communities.“

Russia doesn’t just kill people, doesn’t just destroy our cities, Russia also destroys and bans religious communities” in areas under its control, said Roman Lozynskyi a member of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, he pointed to the deportation of a Greek Catholic priest from the Russian-held city of Melitopol as an example of such repression. His church, which follows the Vatican, has been targeted in occupied areas.

More than 100 Ukrainian religious and political figures, including Metropolitan Epiphanius I, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, are in Washington for the prayer breakfast and related events, according to Pavlo Unguryan, a former Parliament member organizing the delegation.

Ukrainian Orthodox clergy and parishes have been subject to crackdowns in Russian-occupied regions. Metropolitan Epiphanius I stated that over the past three years, at least 50 priests including Kherson’s highest-ranking Ukrainian Orthodox official, who refused to align with the Russian Orthodox Church, have been killed.

The delegation also plans to draw attention to the plight of evangelical Christians. Russia has historically scrutinized evangelicals within its borders and has prosecuted Jehovah’s Witnesses, a pattern that extends into occupied Ukraine. “Ukraine is the center of the Bible Belt of Europe,” said Unguryan, a Baptist.

He estimated that around one million Ukrainians attend evangelical services weekly. Russia currently occupies roughly 19 percent of Ukrainian territory, with its forces advancing slowly along a 600-mile front.

“A part of this war is spiritual,” Unguryan said. “It is important for America to know about this.” The Ukrainian delegation’s efforts are partly directed at supporters of Donald Trump, earlier this week, Trump suggested that future aid should be contingent on US access to Ukraine’s mineral resources. Past outreach by Ukrainian religious groups to American conservatives has yielded results.

Last summer, House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered a video address to a Christian gathering in Ukraine, and Ukrainian Baptists have sought his backing for military and diplomatic support. Johnson, a Southern Baptist, has positioned his faith at the center of his political career. Ukraine’s Parliament and religious leaders have been attending the National Prayer Breakfast since the early 2000s, but participation has increased in recent years.

The annual visit, dubbed “Ukraine Week” in Washington, has drawn growing numbers of delegates. This year’s expanded presence, Unguryan noted, reflects the importance of faith to many Trump supporters.

Ukrainian Protestant pastors have played a significant role in the war effort, often serving as military chaplains. Ukrainian evangelicals have also opened roughly 100 churches across Europe to provide services for refugees, said Liudmyla Filipovych, a Ukrainian religious scholar.

Under leader Vladimir Putin, Russia has restricted or banned religious groups outside its officially recognized “traditional” faiths, Orthodox Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism. The US government has designated Russia a “country of particular concern” for violations of religious freedom.

In 2019, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church formally split from the Russian Orthodox Church, but some congregations continued to follow Moscow’s hierarchy.

Last year, Ukraine banned the branch of the Orthodox Church that remained aligned with Russia, a move that drew condemnation from the Kremlin and criticism from Pope Francis. Ukrainian officials have defended the restrictions, arguing that some clergy members acted as Russian intelligence operatives or encouraged prayers for Russian military leaders.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin requested his initials be engraved on crosses distributed to soldiers, Russia’s state news agency TASS reported on January 7. During a visit to Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill blessed crosses and icons for troops fighting in Ukraine.