Press Release No: 07/25
22 August 2025
Brussels 

The Conference of European Churches (CEC) has expressed deep concern over recent high-level meetings of US President Donald Trump with the Presidents of Russia and Ukraine, as well as with European leaders. In a statement issued by Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain, President of CEC, churches underlined the urgent responsibility of political leaders in the face of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

“CEC urges political leaders to take decisions that will put an end to the killings and establish a just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” Archbishop Nikitas said.

In prayer, European churches seek God’s mercy on all who suffer. “May the minds and hearts of those in power be transformed by the light of God’s peace, so that the sufferings of the Ukrainian people may come to an end, and that they may rejoice in justice and peace,” the statement reads.

Since the outbreak of the war, churches across the region have remained steadfast in prayer and humanitarian support. CEC affirms its solidarity with them and joins the appeal of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations (UCCRO) for a World Prayer for Ukraine on 24 August 2025, Ukraine’s Independence Day.

CEC also endorses the recent UCCRO statement affirming Ukraine’s right to defend its sovereignty and freely determine its path of development and international cooperation.

Through its Pathways to Peace initiative, launched in 2022, CEC continues to foster dialogue, promote accountability, encourage an ecumenical vision of just peace, and amplify the witness of Ukrainian churches in the wider debate.

“At this critical moment, European churches remain vigilant and prayerful, watching the decisions of political leaders,” the statement adds. “We pray that God may guide them to seek peace with justice, and that the forces of violence, power, and territorial greed may cease. As the Scriptures remind us: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God’ (Matthew 5:9).”

Read full text of CEC statement on Ukraine

Appeal of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations on the occasion of the World Prayer for Ukraine

Statement of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations

Learn more about Pathways to Peace

For more information or an interview, please contact:

Naveen Qayyum
Communication Officer
Conference of European Churches
Rue Joseph II, 174 B-1000 Brussels
Tel. +32 486 75 82 36
E-mail: naveen@cec-kek.be
Website: www.ceceurope.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ceceurope
Twitter: @ceceurope
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