Trump’s ‘peace plan’ for Ukraine would be a disaster for religious freedom

If a US-negotiated peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine involves ceding land, it will also have huge implications for the Church. Andreja Bogdanovski explains why Putin wants control of Orthodoxy in Ukraine - and why that would be dangerous for all Christians

Donald Trump promised that, when he became America’s new president, he would end the war within Ukraine in 24 hours. Many in Europe, primarily Ukraine’s President Zelensky, feared he could not deliver on those promises without twisting Ukraine’s arm and appeasing Putin’s appetite to conquer Ukraine.

As we mark three years since Russia’s brutal invasion, these fears have materialised, making it hard to distinguish between the rhetoric emanating from Moscow and that coming from Washington. Trump’s team launched negotiations with Russia without involving Ukraine, diminishing Zelensky’s ability to negotiate a just peace almost entirely.

Following a prolonged period of isolation, the new US administration welcomed Putin back into global affairs, entering negotiations with a willingness to accept key stipulations from Russia about Ukraine, even before talks began. These included denying Ukraine NATO membership, no return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders and the elimination of any American role in peacekeeping efforts.