Ukrainian church leaders from rival denominations have expressed cautious optimism following the election of Donald Trump for a second term, hoping his presidency might herald an end to the ongoing conflict from Russia.
Archbishop Svetoslav Shevchuk, of the Greek Catholic Church, expressed concerns over how Trump's promise to "end wars in the modern world" would impact Ukraine.
Trump’s pick for US national intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard, has been accused by Ukraine of being a Kremlin double agent.
A Russian state TV host described her as “our girlfriend in America”.
Gabbard was a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, but quit the party to endorse Trump.
At the start of Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, she wrote on X, blaming the US and NATO for provoking Russia to war: “This war and suffering could have easily been avoided if Biden Admin/Nato had simply acknowledged Russia’s legitimate security concerns regarding Ukraine’s becoming a member of Nato, which would mean US/Nato forces right on Russia’s border.”
Meanwhile, Metropolitan Agafangel (Savin) of the Moscow-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) congratulated Trump, interpreting his victory as divine support. He expressed hope that Trump's presidency would alleviate the hardships faced by believers of the UOC amidst ongoing persecution and legal challenges against its members for alleged collaboration with Russia.
On the other hand, Ukraine's independent Orthodox Church (OCU) acknowledged Trump’s previous efforts to protect its interests and looked forward to his assistance in securing a just peace for Ukraine. Metropolitan Kliment (Kush) lauded Trump for his contributions during his first term and emphasized the importance of continued support.
Amidst these developments, celebrations in Kyiv have been subdued, with official festivities cancelled due to security concerns.
Church Times report that in Kyiv, where Christmas and New Year celebrations have been cancelled by the capital’s Defence Council, the OCU’s leader, Metropolitan Epiphany, called upon the Archangel Michael to help Ukrainians survive “occupiers and servants of the Kremlin tyrant, the modern Antichrist, now terrorising and destroying the whole world”.