Burns Called Putin’s Demand to Protect the UOC a Crime

American pastor Mark Burns stated that, in his view, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) is being used by the Kremlin to justify aggression and support the invasion of Ukraine, while Ukraine defends religious freedom. He criticized Vladimir Putin for having “the audacity to demand the protection of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine” during the peace talks in Alaska. Burns wrote about this on social media platform X.

According to him, Putin’s statements about caring for the UOC’s safety, while “the Russian government bans Ukrainian churches in occupied territories, are not just hypocrisy, but a crime.” Burns emphasized that the new Ukrainian law was adopted democratically, protects national sovereignty, and establishes legal procedures to investigate links with the ROC: “No religious group is banned automatically. No one is above the law. These are the actions of a free people defending themselves, not persecuting anyone.”

The pastor added that he prays for peace but noted that “true peace must be based on truth.” “The truth is that Russia uses religion as a weapon. And Ukraine is right to expose this.”

It was also previously reported that Mark Burns, who is part of Donald Trump’s circle of associates, stated that at the upcoming meeting of the US and Russian presidents on August 15 in Alaska, Donald Trump will “hold Vladimir Putin accountable.” Burns believes that the meeting of the US and Russian leaders shows that Putin is “cornered,” and therefore forced to make choices that do not suit him.