Abp. Alexei Makes Statement on Putin Meeting, Responds to Criticisms
The OCA hierarch had received an icon of St. Herman of Alaska and of the Dormition of the Mother of God from Putin, and gifted him his own icon that was given to him by the monks of Mt. Athos on the day he was elevated to the episcopacy.
AUG. 17, 2025 — In the aftermath of Friday's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was in Alaska for a historic summit with U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the issue of lasting peace and an end to the war in Ukraine, Archbishop Alexei of Sitka and Alaska of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) sent a statement to brother clergy regarding the exchange of gifts with Putin that has circulated amongst the faithful.
"Recently, much has been said and written about my brief greeting with President Putin during his visit to Alaska," the communication begins. "Many have misunderstood that moment, and some have taken offense. I write to you, my brothers, so that you may understand my heart and give clear witness to our faithful."
Perhaps the most notable criticism of His Eminence's meeting with Putin came from Metropolitan Antony and Archbishop Daniel of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A., which is under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Titled, "Betrayal of Christian Witness in Welcoming a Dictator," the hierarchs opened by saying:
It is with deep sorrow and righteous indignation that we respond to the recent words of a hierarch of the Orthodox Church in America, who publicly welcomed and complimented the President of the Russian Federation during his visit to this continent.
Such gestures are not merely unfortunate; they are a betrayal of the Gospel of Christ and a scandal to the faithful. At a moment when the Russian regime is responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands, for the disappearance of countless innocents, for the tearing of families apart, and for the deliberate destruction of Ukraine, to extend words of welcome and admiration to its leader is nothing less than the embrace of falsehood.
Met. Antony and Abp. Daniel further stated that, "the Church is called to be the conscience of society, not its accomplice in moral blindness. To exchange pleasantries with a tyrant who wages war and commits atrocities is to dishonor the graves of the fallen, to spit upon the tears of widows and mothers, and to stand deaf before the cries of children who have been orphaned, displaced, and murdered."
While the Church preaches love and forgiveness, they said, that love cannot be divorced from the truth, and forgiveness cannot excuse evil.
History remembers with shame those who once smiled at tyrants, who spoke softly to mass murderers, who flattered oppressors in the name of diplomacy or false peace. To repeat such failures today is to stain the witness of the Church, to betray the very martyrs who shed their blood for truth, and to scandalize the faithful who expect their shepherds to speak light into darkness.
It is important to note that Abp. Daniel is one of the architects of the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) project, which has led to the religious persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). Not only this, but physical violence toward the faithful and clergy alike has become a common occurrence.
From the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. website:
Within the framework of the preparations for the granting of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, On September 7th, 2018 the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, under the leadership of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, appointed His Eminence Archbishop Daniel (along with Bishop Ilarion of UOCC) as Exarch of the Ecumenical Throne to Ukraine. In a month following the appointment (9-11 October, 2018) and upon the conclusion of the preliminary work of the Exarchs, the Ecumenical Patriarchate made the historical announcement about the granting of autocephaly to the Holy Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
On November 3, 2018 Archbishop Daniel participated in the formal conclusion of the process and signing of the Agreement "On Cooperation and Interaction between Ukraine and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople" by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko.
On December 15, 2018 His Eminence Archbishop Daniel, along with Metropolitan Emmanuel of France (presiding hierarchs) and Bishop Ilation of UOC of Canada, participated in the Unification Council of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
On January 5-6, 2019 Archbishop Daniel participated in the official ceremony (at Holy Great-Martyr George Patriarchal Cathedral in Constantinople, Turkey) of signing and granting Tomos of Autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
Directly during the time of the OCU's formulation and after the time of its creation, the hierarch received several secular awards from the Ukrainian government — the Presidential Merit Award from the State of Ukraine in August of 2018, the Honorary Merit Certificate and Medal from the Parliament of Ukraine in December of 2018, and the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise from the State of Ukraine in January of 2019.
After these accusations of "betrayal," Abp. Alexei reminded everyone that, in the three days leading up to the summit in Alaska, the entire diocese was dedicated to prayer, with churches filled with people praying for peace, for those suffering in Ukraine, and for the conversion of hearts.
"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," the OCA hierarch stated. "Their sacrifice is our inheritance, and for that spiritual gift we must always give thanks."
Abp. Alexei also stated that his veneration of the holy icons gifted to him is not directed at the one who gives them, but to who or what 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.
His Eminence closed by asking the priests to continue leading their people in prayer while reminding them that the Church does not condone or sanctify violence nor ignore suffering. But while condemning the shedding of innocent blood, the Gospel still calls the faithful to show love to those who oppose them.
"If asked, you may tell your faithful simply this: The Archbishop called our diocese to prayer, and in that spirit spoke of gratitude for the saints who brought us the faith. Nothing more, nothing less. The prayers are what remain before God. The pictures will pass away."
Previously, UOJ reported that Vladimir Putin had arrived in Alaska for peace talks with Donald Trump.
