As President Donald Trump’s administration works toward a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine, the leaders of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) are warning that Vladimir Putin’s Russia believes it’s actually fighting a “holy war” against the West.

A delegation from the OCU was in the United States recently for the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C. The group was led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphany, leader of Kyiv and all of Ukraine.

His translator spoke to Fox News about the spiritual war raging between Russia and Ukraine, which has played a big role in why the battle began and continues to escalate.

Metropolitan Epiphanius conducts the liturgical service and the Church of St. Andrew the First-Called consecration on Aug. 25, 2024, in Bucha, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. (Andrii Nesterenko/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Yevstratiy also revealed a scarier version of the war in Ukraine. He says Putin’s ultimate goal is more than the reunification of the Soviet Union, or the defense of Christian civilization. It’s actually more apocalyptic. He’s focused on ushering in the third and final Rome…. in Moscow, which means, labeling the rest of Christianity, Catholics and Protestants alike… as heretics and pagans.

Describing the inner workings of the Orthodox churches may seem a little like ‘inside baseball’.  But these are the oldest churches of Christianity. They emerged from the five ancient churches led by the apostles who knew Jesus personally.

Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill conducts the Easter service at the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow on Saturday, April 23. (Sergei Vlasov, Russian Orthodox Church Press Service via AP)

The apostle Andrew went to the east in Constantinople; Mark to Alexandria (Egypt); Peter to Antioch (Rome); James to Jerusalem, and Barnabas to Cyprus.  From these men, along with the itinerant Apostle Paul, Christianity spread throughout the globe. So, this conflict between Russia and Ukraine has deep spiritual roots. And Putin knows it.

Yestratiy and Epiphany were present at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. and heard President Trump declare his desire to be a peacemaker.

Vestratiy said, “We pray and we ask God Almighty to bless this very good and Christian desire.”

Adding, “May God bless Ukraine. May God bless America.”

The full interview is on Lauren Green’s Lighthouse Faith podcast, available on Apple, Spotify and here.