Pastor Mark Burns, the personal spiritual adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, arrived in Ukraine on March 31 for an official visit. The trip was initiated by Ukraine’s Chief Rabbi, Moshe Reuven Azman, who is well known in the Jewish community, particularly in Kyiv.
“A special guest has arrived in Ukraine under my invitation,” Rabbi Azman wrote on social media.
During his visit, a delegation toured three northwestern suburbs of Kyiv that were liberated three years ago: Bucha, Irpin, and Borodianka.
Pastor Burns witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of the Russian army’s crimes against Ukraine’s civilian population.
He also had the opportunity to hear directly from eye witnesses who had survived the enduring occupation.
What Burns say deeply moved him, according to Azman.
“He did not hide his pain, outrage, or genuine sympathy,” Azman wrote.
UWC Third Vice President Andriy Futey and former president of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America expressed his support for Burns’ visit.
“No one walks away from Ukraine unchanged. And neither should the world,” Futey said.
While in Kyiv, Burns participated in an interfaith religious forum and visited the Main Military Hospital.
He said that Ukraine’s military needs more than just financial aid – it requires 1,000 tanks, 300 F-35 fighter jets, and air defense systems to counter drones targeting civilian infrastructure.
“The war in Ukraine is bigger than Democrats or Republicans, the Left or the Right,” he wrote. “Whether you dislike President Trump or President Zelenskyy, real people are dying here.”
Burns also addressed the issue of disinformation, which he believes is rampant both in the U.S. and Ukraine. He called for prayers for peace and assured that his visit was not politically motivated.
“Twenty-thousand children have been kidnapped and stolen to Russia. Three-hundred women were recently raped, as reported by multi-faith religious leaders. Seven-hundred religious buildings have been destroyed on purpose because they are often the only source of hope offered to the Ukrainian people,” he said. “Innocent non-soldiers shot in the back of the head with their hands tied behind their backs.”
Azman said that Burns is someone who has the opportunity to “be heard where major decisions are made.”
“And I believe that the truth from Ukraine will reach the very heart of the new American leadership,” he said.
Burns is a native of South Carolina and the co-founder and chief executive of The NOW, a Christian television network. In 2016, Time magazine named him “Trump’s top pastor” and included him in the list of influential figures of the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Photos: Azman on Facebook
