‘Stop Believing Russian Propaganda,’ Ukrainian Christians Urge as U.S. Leader Speaks Out
As peace talks between Russia and Ukraine struggle to gain traction, a prominent U.S. Christian leader is sharing a message he says believers on the ground in Ukraine conveyed to him during a visit: "Stop believing Russian propaganda" about this war.
Ed Stetzer, the dean of the Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, posted the message on social media Wednesday shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump was widely criticized for saying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy started the war with Russia.
"You should have never started it. You could have made a deal," Trump said in Florida, describing what he would say to Zelenskyy.
Stetzer wrote on X, "Ukraine was invaded by Russia. Ukraine did not 'start it.'"
Stetzer then posted a video of him standing in front of a makeshift monument constructed out of destroyed cars in Ukraine that were bombed by Russia.
"The Ukrainian Christians are telling me is they're seeing a lot of Christians sort of believe some of what they've seen, that is Russian propaganda on social media," Stetzer said. "So I want to encourage you to continue to pray for Ukraine, but be careful in the kind of things that you believe.
"When I say, 'What do you want me to say to the Americans?' And they're saying, 'Stop believing Russian propaganda.'"
Stetzer added, "Let's listen to those on the ground -- our brothers and sisters in Christ -- who know this is an illegal and immoral Russian invasion."
"Stop believing Russian propaganda about this war," was a phrase I heard over and over from the evangelical leaders in Ukraine.
Let's listen to those on the ground—our brothers and sisters in Christ—who know this is an illegal and immoral Russian invasion.
(This is the car… https://t.co/KXXfeZU4z4 pic.twitter.com/CM9gXMzJPq— Ed Stetzer (@edstetzer) February 19, 2025
The Talbot School of Theology operates an extension in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Mission Eurasia, a ministry dedicated to training and mobilizing Christian leaders in the 13 countries of the former Soviet Union, reported last year that Russian forces are guilty of religious persecution across Ukraine, having destroyed or damaged at least 600 churches since the 2022 invasion.
Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence, urged his former boss not to blame Ukraine.
"Mr. President, Ukraine did not 'start' this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The Road to Peace must be built on the Truth," Pence wrote.
Mr. President, Ukraine did not “start” this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The Road to Peace must be built on the Truth.🇺🇸🇺🇦
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) February 19, 2025
“Russia Invades Ukraine in Largest European Attack Since WWII” @FoxNews (February 24,… pic.twitter.com/HsWGdyCGOz
U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska and the chair of the House Cyber Subcommittee, also pushed back against Trump.
"Putin started this war. Putin committed war crimes," Bacon wrote. "Putin is the dictator who murdered his opponents."
Bacon then challenged Russia's defenders on his timeline. When someone wrote #NotMyPeopleNotMyProblem, Bacon responded, "The dummies said the same in 1938."
Meanwhile, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson offered a nuanced take on Trump's comments, saying the U.S. president was trying to shock Europe into action.
"When are we Europeans going to stop being scandalised about Donald Trump and start helping him to end this war?
"Of course Ukraine didn't start the war. You might as well say that America attacked Japan at Pearl Harbor," Johnson wrote.
"Of course a country undergoing a violent invasion should not be staging elections. There was no general election in the UK from 1935 to 1945.
"Of course Zelenskyy's ratings are not 4%. They are actually about the same as Trump's.
"Trump's statements are not intended to be historically accurate but to shock Europeans into action," Johnson concluded. "In particular the U.S. can see $300bn of frozen Russian assets - mainly in Belgium. That is cash that could and should be used to pay Ukraine and compensate the U.S. for its support. Why is Europe preventing the unfreezing of Putin's cash? The U.S. believes Belgium, France and other countries are blocking. It's absurd. We need to get serious and fast."
When are we Europeans going to stop being scandalised about Donald Trump and start helping him to end this war?
Of course Ukraine didn’t start the war. You might as well say that America attacked Japan at Pearl Harbor.
Of course a country undergoing a violent invasion should…— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 19, 2025
Photo Credit: ©Ed Stetzer
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
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Originally published February 20, 2025.
