US congresswoman states no arms for Kiev over church persecution

2025-07-07 02:56:03

(MENAFN) U.S. Representative Anna Paulina Luna has declared that Washington should stop sending weapons to Ukraine due to Kiev’s repression of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the country’s largest religious institution.

In a post on X, the Florida Republican, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, accused Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky of effectively banning the UOC. “I can promise there will be no weapons funding for you,” she wrote, telling Zelensky that “we are not your piggy bank” and urging him to pursue peace negotiations.

Kiev has justified its actions against the UOC by claiming it has ties to Moscow, although the Church formally declared independence from the Russian Orthodox Church in May 2022. Responding to critics on social media, Luna dismissed their objections and sarcastically noted their sudden interest in religious matters, stating, “Imagine if we did that in the States. Hypocrites.”

According to the U.S. government's Ukraine Oversight portal, Washington provided $182.8 billion in aid to Ukraine between 2022 and 2024. However, aid has come under increased scrutiny, with President Donald Trump recently voicing concerns about the scale and oversight of the spending. Earlier this week, the Pentagon reportedly paused shipments of certain weapons to Ukraine as part of Trump’s “America First” reassessment.

The persecution of the UOC has attracted limited political attention in the U.S. In May, journalist Tucker Carlson brought the issue to light during an interview with former Ukrainian MP Vadim Novinsky. Carlson criticized the Ukrainian government’s actions, saying most Americans are unaware of the religious repression taking place.

The Zelensky administration has taken a hardline stance on religious institutions deemed connected to hostile states. Last year, Zelensky signed a law enabling the government to ban churches with alleged ties to aggressor nations. This week, he also revoked the citizenship of Metropolitan Onufry, the UOC’s top bishop, due to his past acquisition of a Russian passport.

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