Opinion: Spiritual Diplomacy (2025)

Pastor Mark Burns, a spiritual advisor to US President Donald Trump, recently visited Ukraine, including Kryvyi Rih and the site of a deadly recent Russian attack that killed numerous civilians, including children.

During his visit to Ukraine, Burns called for continuation of military support for Ukraine, emphasizing that the war is not a political issue but a humanitarian one. The pastor also highlighted how Russia has abducted 20,000 Ukrainian children and destroyed hundreds of religious buildings of various denominations.

Evangelical circles in the US are a significant force with access to the ears of decision-makers, and the effects of that influence are becoming visible. Burns’ visit is not just about telling these communities about the crimes Russia is committing in Ukraine – it is also producing tangible results.

In late February, the Trump administration pulled funding from Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab, which had been investigating reports of Ukrainian children being forcibly deported to Russia using satellite imagery and open-source intelligence. After Burns’ visit, the institution resumed its work.

According to some, his visit played a role in this decision. In the photos, alongside Burns, we can also see Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe Azman. He is a figure whose work is also worth following. Based on social media, he appears to travel extensively, including to the US and Israel – countries with complex relations.

In the early stages of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there was no clear support from Israel. However, in 2025, Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel submitted a bill to the Knesset aimed at enabling the transfer of Russian-made weapons to Kyiv that were captured by the IDF from Hezbollah and other regional adversaries.

Diplomacy happens behind the scenes, so the rabbi’s role is not public, but even without speculating, it is clear that during meetings with politicians, he does not only discuss matters of faith.

A separate case is the involvement of Poland’s Chief Rabbi, Michael Schudrich, who helped bring home Olena Piech. In 2014, she left Donetsk and settled in Odesa. Unfortunately, her mother suffered a stroke, and Piech had to visit her in the occupied territories. During one of these visits, she was arrested and tortured. Details of her situation were discussed in a Kyiv Post interview with Monika Andruszewska, who documents Russian crimes for Poland’s Raphael Lemkin Center.

In Andruszewska’s words: “Olena was wearing a necklace with a Star of David around her neck. Her Russian tormentors publicly cut it off. Throughout her captivity, she was persecuted by the Russians because of her Jewish heritage. Russia continuously calls Ukrainians Nazis, while it is actually using methods known from history. Her release was aided by media attention, proving that highlighting such cases truly matters. In Poland, organizations such as the ICOM National Committee Poland, Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich, the European Union, and the Vatican were involved in securing her release. An innocent Ukrainian woman of Jewish descent was sentenced by the occupying authorities to several years [in prison] for treason. This is absurd.”

The political line of Pope Francis and the Vatican is sparking increasing controversy, usually when it sounds like Russian propaganda. Religious institutions, by their nature, advocate for peace, but calling on Ukrainians to raise the white flag and begin negotiations, or criticizing President Volodymyr Zelensky for limiting the activities of religious organizations linked to the Russian Orthodox Church, goes beyond those bounds. However, one should not underestimate the grassroots work carried out by Catholic clergy and organizations on the ground, even if that is something entirely different from diplomacy and high politics.

The Russian Church is also active, but it is decidedly closer to an intelligence agency than to God. This so-called religious institution has become known, among other things, for purchasing land in strategic locations along the Norwegian coast - not to mention its legitimization of the war and the persona of Patriarch Kirill himself.

The visit of Pastor Mark Burns to Ukraine, like the work of many clergy from different denominations, does not change the course of the war, but it does change the lives of individual people. It also resonates with believers who trust religious leaders and care about the fate of abducted children, murdered civilians, and hundreds of destroyed places of worship. This is also an important diplomatic channel and another path to convincing decision-makers of the cause.

The views expressed are the author’s and not necessarily of Kyiv Post.