On December 4, 2024, members of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) met with a delegation of representatives from leading conservative think tanks and public and religious organizations of the United States. The meeting was held at the Metropolitan House of the National Conservation Area “St. Sophia of Kyiv” in Kyiv.

During the meeting, representatives of the Council of Churches expressed their gratitude for the assistance provided by the United States to Ukraine in repelling Russian aggression. They discussed the current state of religious freedom in Ukraine and the activities of churches and religious organizations during the war, including the humanitarian aspects of serving the Ukrainian people. Members of the UCCRO informed the American delegation about religious persecution by the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and the destruction of religious buildings of various denominations by the Russian military. In particular, the attention of American partners was drawn to Russia's use of the religious factor and the pseudo-religious chauvinistic ideology of the “Russian world” to further its aggressive foreign policy objectives on the international stage and in various countries. According to Ukrainian religious leaders, the regime established by the Russian Federation in the religious sphere in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine is a “mutated” version of the Soviet period.

“We are fighting because we have already experienced the communist regime of the Soviet Union, in which there was no place for believers. My grandfather and father were repressed and persecuted by the Soviet authorities for their faith in God and service to the Church. The “Russian world” - mutated ideology, which has no place for free people, and sincere Christians, invaded the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia.  Churches have been confiscated for the needs of the Russian army, services banned, and clergy members murdered. This is the reality that the 'Russian world' brings with it. Therefore, we, as clergymen, appeal to the United States to continue assisting Ukraine with weapons and all necessary resources, so that the Ukrainian Defense Forces can protect the lives of children, women, and all people while repelling the aggressor," said Pastor Anatoliy Raychynets, representative of the Chairman of the UCCRO, in his speech.

In memory of the meeting, on behalf of the UCCRO, the American delegation was presented with a painting created on boards from ammunition boxes from the Avdiivka area. The artwork depicts a man in the arms of Jesus Christ amidst the ruins resulting from Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities. A Bible verse is written on the painting: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations' meeting with the American delegation was attended by Olena Kovalska, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, and Viktor Voynalovych, First Deputy Head of the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience. 

A delegation of representatives of leading US think tanks and conservative civic and religious organizations visited Kyiv on December 4-6, 2024. During the visit, the American delegation held numerous meetings with representatives of the Ukrainian authorities and religious and public organizations and participated in various events.