Icon of Peace: The Meeting of Abp. Alexei and Vladimir Putin

On August 15, 2025, among the snowy peaks of Anchorage, Alaska, a moment of profound spiritual significance unfolded as Russian president Vladimir Putin met with Archbishop Alexei of Sitka and Alaska. This encounter, set against the backdrop of a U.S.-Russia summit at Elmendorf-Richardson Air Force Base, was not merely a diplomatic footnote: it was a testament to the enduring power of Orthodoxy to bridge divides, even in times of global strife.

The meeting occurred on the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, one of the most important feast-days in the Orthodox Church. Abp. Alexei, who had just led a three-day prayer initiative for peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, welcomed Pres. Putin in Anchorage, where he was attending a summit with U.S. president Donald Trump. The setting was St. Innocent Cathedral, a spiritual beacon tracing its roots to Russian missionaries who planted Orthodoxy in Alaska centuries ago. The exchange, described by an Alaskan Orthodox priest as “spontaneous yet warm,” was marked by a mutual gift-giving that carried deep symbolic resonance.

Pres. Putin, conveying greetings from Pat. Kirill of Moscow, presented Abp. Alexei with two icons: one of St. Herman of Alaska, the beloved missionary saint who defended indigenous peoples in the 18th century, and another of the Dormition of the Theotokos. “We met before my trip, and he [Pat. Kirill] told me how the Orthodox Church was born here,” Pres. Putin said, according to Kremlin sources. “He spoke of you very warmly and asked me to convey his very best wishes.” This gesture underscored the historical ties between Russian Orthodoxy and American Orthodoxy.

Abp. Alexei, in turn, gifted Pres. Putin an icon of St. Herman, painted on Mount Athos, where Alexei had served as a monk at Karakallou Monastery. “This is an icon that was given to me when I was consecrated a bishop on Mount Athos,” he said. “For four years it has been in my prayer corner, and I would like to give it to you to express the gratitude of the native people of Alaska to the leader of the country that once sent missionaries here. Because Russia gave us what we value most, what is most precious: the Orthodox faith.” This exchange was not mere pageantry but a mutual recognition of Orthodoxy’s role in shaping Alaska’s spiritual landscape, a legacy that began with St. Herman’s arrival from Valaam Monastery in 1794.

The topics discussed were steeped in spiritual and historical reflection. Putin referenced Patriarch Kirill’s pastoral visits to Alaska and the origins of the OCA, emphasizing the shared Orthodox heritage. “He himself told me how the Orthodox Church began here,” Pres. Putin noted, highlighting the Russian mission that brought Orthodoxy to the New World. Abp. Alexei, for his part, focused on gratitude for this legacy, framing Russia’s historical role as a gift of faith rather than a political claim. The conversation also touched on the ongoing war in Ukraine, albeit indirectly, through the lens of the Alaskan diocese’s prayer initiative. Abp. Alexei had led services invoking St. Olga of Kwethluk, St. Herman, and the Sitka Icon of the Mother of God, praying for peace and citing Proverbs 21:1: “The hearts of kings are in the hand of the Lord.”

For an American Orthodox bishop to engage with an Orthodox head of state, even one as polarizing as Putin, is a recognition of the Church’s universal mission to bear witness to Christ in all nations. The Orthodox Church in America,, with its 80 Alaskan parishes, stands as a living bridge between East and West, and Abp. Alexei’s willingness to meet Putin reflects the Church’s call to be a peacemaker, not a partisan. The meeting’s focus on spiritual unity, not political endorsement, aligns with the Orthodox Ethos, which seeks to heal wounds rather than sow division.

The exchange of icons was the heart of the event. The St. Herman icon gifted by Putin, now housed at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Sitka, is expected to draw pilgrims, reinforcing Alaska’s role as a spiritual hub. Alexei’s gift of the Athos-painted icon, prayed over for years, was a profound act of reciprocity, honoring the Alaskan faithful’s Russian roots while affirming their independence. 

While no ceasefire emerged from the Trump-Putin summit, Abp. Alexei’s meeting with Pres. Putin was a spiritual triumph. As Alaskan Orthodox continue their prayers for peace, the St. Herman icon stands as a symbol of hope, urging reconciliation in a fractured world. For the faithful, this meeting reminds us that while kings may wield power, their hearts remain in the Lord’s hands—a truth that sustains our hope for peace, however distant it may seem.

Of course, the meeting was not without its critics. In a letter responding to this detraction, Abp. Alexei wrote (in part):

When I expressed gratitude in that public moment, it was not praise for present politics, but a remembrance of the missionaries of earlier generations—Saint Herman, Saint Innocent, Saint Yakov, and others—who brought us the Orthodox faith at great cost. Their sacrifice is our inheritance, and for that spiritual gift we must always give thanks.

As for the icons exchanged, some have condemned me for that, but I must be clear: the veneration we give to holy icons is directed not to the one who gives them, but to the saint or feast they represent. I cannot apologize for kissing an icon of Saint Herman or of the Dormition of the Mother of God. Even if the greatest sinner were beside me, the honor passes not to him but to heaven itself.

I know that sacred gestures can be misunderstood, and I grieve if this has caused confusion or scandal. But our vocation in such moments is not to join the anger of the world, but to keep the lamp of Christ burning, to obey His commandments to pray even for enemies, and to open whatever small door may be given for a pastoral word of peace.

Amen. May God continue to bless peacemakers such as Abp. Alexei. Tweets and op-eds will not bring an end to this war. Bullets and bombs certainly won’t, either. Peace will come only by the grace of God, through the prayers of St. Herman, St. Innocent, and—not least of all—the Orthodox faithful.

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