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USA Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Trump must tell Putin the truth about war in Ukraine. I pray he finally does.
My prayer is that the truth sets Ukraine free. I pray that President Trump negotiates from truth − and that truth leads to freedom, in Ukraine and beyond. President Donald Trump often takes multiple positions on an issue. Supporters sometimes see this as part of his negotiation style. Detractors view it as a matter of character. But this week, his words have consequences far beyond political positioning. In Ukraine, false statements can undermine a nation's defense and cost lives. Russia's invasion of Ukraine poses a particular challenge for evangelicals. Many of us are deeply connected to Ukraine's people and churches. Yet some of Trump's statements have repeated inaccurate Russian narratives, which risks obscuring the truth and undermining support for Ukraine. To be fair, President Trump has sometimes spoken accurately about the war. Perhaps he sees this as a negotiation tactic, but I hope that in private he is clear with Russian President Vladimir Putin when they meet Aug. 15 in Anchorage, Alaska. Even so, public falsehoods about the conflict increase the likelihood of an unjust resolution, emboldening Russia to repeat its aggression elsewhere. Trump falsely says Ukraine started war against Russia For example, in February, Trump repeated Russian talking points, suggesting that Ukraine provoked the war. That framing shifts blame from the aggressor (Russia) to the victim (Ukraine). Again, at times he has acknowledged Russian aggression, but the inconsistency is deeply troubling. Like many American evangelicals, I'm not neutral in Russia's war on Ukraine. Our seminary, the Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, has an extension center in partnership with Kyiv Theological Seminary. Our students live with this war every day. Sadly, when I visited them 2024, Christians there urged me to ask American evangelicals to stop believing Russian propaganda about the war. Talbot is not alone with such relationships. Ukraine has been called the 'Bible belt of Europe,' with a vibrant evangelical movement and strong partnerships with American churches. Most major denominations have ministry partners there. Many congregations know firsthand that Ukraine − not Russia − is the victim, regardless of political talking points. Opinion: The key to success at Trump-Putin Alaska summit on Ukraine? Low expectations. These relationships create a unique responsibility for evangelicals. We must pray for leaders, and we must stand for truth, whether or not it is politically convenient. The truth matters not only for the war's cause, but also for Ukraine's record on religious liberty. Ukraine is far from perfect. Yet the difference between life in free Ukraine and life under Russian occupation is stark, especially for Christians. In Russian-controlled areas, religious freedom has been harshly suppressed, as documented in 'A Faith Under Siege.' The Kyiv Independent recently documented a crackdown on Christians who refuse to align with the occupiers. The 'sects' Russia claims to suppress are often evangelicals. Critics of Kyiv often say Ukraine 'persecutes Christians,' citing restrictions on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. But this situation requires context: Elements of the UOC have long been linked to Moscow's influence, raising concerns about its role as a conduit for Kremlin-backed activity. And most Orthodox believers in Ukraine now belong to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, recognized in 2019. To be clear, I do not support restricting religious speech or practice, yet understanding the situation beyond talking points is essential. Ukraine is not perfect on religious liberty, but Russia's record on religious tolerance is unmistakable. Another persistent falsehood is that Ukraine somehow started the war. But the facts are simple: Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022 − after seizing Crimea in 2014 and fueling war in the Donbas. This timeline is indisputable. Yet in April, Trump remarked, 'You don't start a war against someone 20 times your size and then hope that people give you some missiles.' Russia also claims it is 'liberating' Russian-speaking Ukrainians from a 'fascist' regime in Kyiv. This is a familiar tactic in Russian history − using a false narrative of liberation as a pretext for invasion. It is a lie Russian rulers have told for centuries. Any vision for peace must prioritize truth: Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia started this war. And any honest path toward peace must begin there. Some Americans believe supporting Ukraine is not worth the risk. We all long for the war to end. The fact is that you can end a war at any time − if you are willing to give the aggressor what it wants. But that's not peace. It is surrender. American Christians must pray for Ukraine − and for peace On Friday, negotiations start in Alaska, but they should not begin with the aggressor's talking points. Russia began this war. Russia remains the enemy of peace. Facts matter and American evangelicals should say so, regardless of political cost. Opinion: Gen Z is returning to Christianity. Data proves it. Our brothers and sisters in Christ across Ukraine are counting on us to do just that. Let us pray for Ukraine, for justice, for protection and for peace. And let us pray for President Trump − that he would speak the truth about the war and work toward a just resolution. We don't have to agree with every Ukrainian decision nor, for that matter, endorse every U.S. policy. But we must care about truth. As Jesus said, 'The truth will set you free.' And on this point, the truth is clear: Russia is the aggressor. Ukraine is the victim. My prayer is that the truth sets Ukraine free. I pray that President Trump negotiates from truth − and that truth leads to freedom, in Ukraine and beyond. Ed Stetzer is the dean at the Talbot School of Theology at Biola University and a distinguished visiting scholar at Wycliffe Hall at Oxford University.
USA Today
09-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Russia abducts Ukrainian kids and treats them like prisoners of war. Save them.
Russia abducts Ukrainian kids and treats them like prisoners of war. Save them. | Opinion Putin's not just seizing Ukrainian territory and children. He's also waging a spiritual war against Christians and any religion not controlled by the Kremlin. Under international law, infants, toddlers and teenagers who have an inherent right to life must be protected during wars and not moved to an enemy state. But since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Russians have treated Ukrainian children more like prisoners of war and pawns in President Vladimir Putin's effort to forge a new Russian empire. About 20,000 children have been abducted from their families by Russia, the Ukrainian government has verified. That number is likely well into the six figures now, but it's difficult to get information out of occupied Ukraine, and the Russians aren't helping. Moscow has sent some teens to Russian camps where they're brainwashed to forget their nationality and receive military training. Some teens have told us that they're encouraged to take up arms against their home country. One boy, who was 16 when abducted, said he refused to sing the Russian national anthem, which was required each morning, and was thrown into solitary confinement four times. Fortunately, after nearly a year he managed to escape the camp, aided by Save Ukraine, a group that has rescued 630 children. The teen, whose first name is Rostyslav ‒ we can't use his last name for fear of reprisals against his family ‒ tells his compelling story in our documentary "A Faith Under Siege," which will premiere May 10 on the Christian Broadcasting Network News. Putin accused of war crimes in kidnapping Ukrainian children Along with the teens, the younger children suffer from having been torn away from their families, including some who were turned into orphans by Russians who killed their parents. At least those children are still alive. Five boys and two girls have been "summarily executed' in Russian-occupied territory of Ukraine, meaning they were accused of crimes and not even given a trial, according to a United Nations report. Opinion: Putin cannot be trusted to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine in good faith As early as February 2023, a year after Russia's invasion, thousands of children were already shipped to 43 reeducation camps across Russia, including in Siberia and a city near the Pacific Ocean, nearly 4,000 miles from the Ukrainian border. At the camps, the children are forced to attend Russian schools, where they're forbidden from speaking their native language and are taught from new textbooks to love Russia and hate Ukraine and the West. Yet indoctrinating children in schools isn't enough for the Kremlin. They want to make them Russian citizens, and Russia does so by forcing Ukrainian orphans to get Russian passports. Once they do, returning to Ukraine, even to their extended families, would violate Russian law against international 'adoptions.' Russia's actions are a gruesome reminder of Nazi Germany's effort in World War II to turn about 200,000 Polish children into Aryans – a move that was considered a war crime. In 2023, based on the abductions, the International Criminal Court (ICC) accused Putin and Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova of war crimes. In spite of all the evidence to the contrary, the commissioner claimed that parents with children voluntarily left war-torn parts of Ukraine, and that Russia brought in 2,000 orphans and abandoned children, all for humanitarian reasons. Because Russia is not a party to the ICC, neither Putin nor the commissioner has been arrested. Why are evangelicals so hated by the Russians? Russia's war is not just about seizing children and territory from Ukraine. It's also a spiritual war against any religion that is not controlled by the Kremlin. The Russians have damaged or destroyed at least 630 churches and killed 48 religious leaders as of 2024, a number that constantly grows. Merely saying you're an evangelical or praying in front of a Russian can lead to torture, as our documentary shows. In August 2014, when Russia illegally seized Luhansk, Donbas and Crimea from Ukraine, Viktor Chernaiivsky, who was evacuating people, was captured and thrown into detention. In his cell, he prayed with other prisoners. A priest heard about that and said 'because I am an evangelical Christian, he has to cast out demons from me,' Chernaiivsky recounted. After that, 'they tased me with electricity, and they hit me with baseball bats … and they were simulating shooting at me, as well.' Opinion: Russia is killing and torturing Ukrainian Christians, not 'protecting' them In an occupied Ukrainian city, Russians cut down the cross outside a church and raised their own flag instead, closing the church to worshippers. 'Russia is trying to replace God with the Russian state,' said the documentary narrator. Why are evangelicals so hated by the Russians? 'Our churches never want to be under government, under Communist Party, under KGB,' evangelical leader Pavlo Unguryan said. 'We have just one leader. It's Jesus Christ.' The film's most tragic scenes involve fathers coping with family deaths. One father lost his wife and baby son. Another lost his wife and all three children. 'I don't know how I will live without them,' he said. Yet in the midst of despair, the documentary provides vivid examples of how the Ukrainians and their religions will survive. After Russian rockets destroyed a church, Ukrainians were clearing away the rubble and working to rebuild what they had lost. Still, their most dreadful losses are the thousands of abducted Ukrainian children who are stuck in Russia. If Putin truly wanted peace, he would already be sending children back home. Ukrainians are ready for the war to end, but any peace agreement must return those children to their true families. Steven Moore, a former congressional chief of staff who moved to Ukraine on Day 5 of the war, is founder of the Ukraine Freedom Project and executive producer of the documentary "A Faith Under Siege." Colby Barrett, a Colorado-based entrepreneur, farmer and former Marine, is a producer of the documentary.
