The Council of Ukrainian Christian Churches in Washington State congratulated Donald Trump on being elected U.S. president, expressing hope that he will stop Russia’s war against Ukraine and hold Russia accountable for war crimes.
Ukrainian religious leaders in Washington State are also asking Trump not to suspend programs to protect Ukrainians in the U.S., Voice of America reports.
“Churches in Washington State continue to care for the families of Ukrainians who have fled the war in Ukraine to the United States. The government’s United for Ukraine (U4U) program and Temporary Protective Status (TPS) remain critical for them as a way to legally reside in the United States, given the ongoing genocide of Ukrainians that Russian forces continue committing through daily shelling of the civilian population of Ukraine with ballistic and cruise missiles, drones, and artillery,” Ukrainian religious leaders in Washington State say, according to the report delivered in Ukrainian.
“We believe you will be able to not only stop the war, but also hold the Russian leadership accountable for numerous war crimes, genocide of Ukrainians, and crimes against humanity,” reads the greeting from Ukrainian Christian churches in Washington State.
Help for displaced Ukrainians under threat
In mid-January, under the Biden administration, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced an 18-month extension (until October 2026) of Temporary Protection Status (TPS) for Ukrainians already staying the U.S. due to the ongoing war.
According to government data, 103,700 Ukrainian citizens in the U.S. are covered by the TPS for Ukraine program.
Another program through which Ukrainian war refugees arrive in the U.S. is Unity for Ukraine (U4U), which provides a so-called “humanitarian pass”, which was launched by Joe Biden. As of September 2023, more than 150,000 Ukrainians have come to the U.S. under the U4U program.
As reported by The New York Times, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is putting the U4U programs on hold. New applications for asylum in the United States under the said program will not be considered for the time being, the NYT reported, citing a directive contained in an email sent out by a senior official from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Thursday and obtained by the newspaper.
On Monday, the day of his inauguration, the U.S. president terminated the humanitarian pass program for Cubans, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, and Haitians. Displaced Ukrainian in the United States express concerns that a similar program for Ukrainians may also be subject to restrictions.
On Monday, January 20, President Trump was sworn in as the 47th U.S. president, taking office for the second time.
Christians from various denominations form the backbone of Trump’s electorate.
According to various polls, from 40% to 70% of Trump voters are members of various Christian churches in the United States. A Pew poll run ahead of the election showed that 82% of white Evangelicals, 61% of white Catholics, and 58% of white non-evangelical Protestants intended to vote for Trump.
Ukrainian Christian churches in the United States share Trump’s conservative agenda on abortion, traditional family, and the need for better border security, while adding that they also care about a just end to Russia’s global threat, armed aggression, and state-sponsored terrorism, which is a reality not only for Ukraine but for the rest of the democratic world.
Ukrainian church leaders in Washington state expressed their belief that Donald Trump’s presidency would help not only with economic growth within the country, protecting its borders, freedom of expression of conservative views, and the ability to raise children as good citizens based on their own understanding of the Christian faith or other universal human values, but also in bringing to justice all those responsible for the international crimes that Russia is committing in Ukraine.
Ukrainian religious leaders assured President Trump that Washington State churches pray for his presidency to be successful in all its good intentions and for God’s wisdom in making important state decisions.
As Voice of America reported, in March 2024, the Council of Ukrainian Christian Churches in Washington State was created by representatives of the State’s Ukrainian churches – Evangelical, Orthodox, and Catholic.
Transferring its many years of experience in establishing interfaith dialogue to American soil, the Council declared its goal to serve the community and assist Ukraine.
The Council is engaged in Christian service, collecting humanitarian aid for Ukraine, receiving Ukrainian refugees, popularizing knowledge about Ukraine, and promoting the Ukrainian cause in public space and politics.
