Donald Trump donated a copy of the icon of the Mother of God of Sitka to an ROC monastery near St. Petersburg, Russia

A copy of the Sithya Icon of the Mother of God was solemnly handed over to the Holy Trinity Sergius Seaside Hermitage in Strelna. This gift was a symbolic gesture of goodwill on the part of the United States in response to the strengthening of religious and cultural ties between the countries.

According to the publication TASSthe icon was delivered to the Russian monastery by Rodney Mims Cook, chairman of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. The initiative to hand over the shrine belonged to Donald Trump, who offered to make a reciprocal gift after Russian President Vladimir Putin handed two Orthodox icons to Archbishop Alexei of Sitka and Alaska during his visit to Alaska in August 2025.

“I was deeply moved by President Putin’s visit to Alaska. He presented an icon of St. Herman to the Orthodox Church in Alaska, and President Trump invited me to make a reciprocal gesture here, ” Cook said. The transfer of the icon took place within the framework of the stay of the American representative in Russia, where he arrived to participate in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2026.

Earlier, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov noted that Rodney Mims Cook will speak at the session “Russia and the United States: dialog of cultures”. This event emphasizes the importance of preserving cultural and spiritual interaction despite the current international agenda.