The Tucker Carlson Show - May 23, 2025


Vadym Novynskyi： Zelensky’s Mission to End Christianity in Ukraine & Why America Is Still Funding It


Episode Stats

Length

33 minutes

Words per Minute

135.0353

Word Count

4,496

Sentence Count

322

Hate Speech Sentences

18


Summary

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is the largest denomination of Christians in Ukraine, and it has been targeted by the government for over a decade. Why does the world not see what is happening to the church in Ukraine? And why does the West not see it?


Transcript

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00:00:30.000 Thank you for joining us.
00:00:32.260 I think very few Americans understand the degree to which the Ukrainian government under Zelensky has persecuted the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
00:00:43.500 Can you give us an overview of what your government has done to your church?
00:00:49.020 Unfortunately, our government, led by Zelensky, has opened up a campaign of persecution and depression against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
00:01:02.240 The largest church, the largest church in Ukraine, the largest denomination of Christians in Ukraine.
00:01:09.340 Before the war, there were 12,000 parishes and 7 million believers in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
00:01:15.380 And despite the fact that it's the largest denomination, and that 95 to 97% voted for Zelensky as the President of Peace, he is doing this to our church.
00:01:26.980 He's persecuting and oppressing our church.
00:01:29.180 Over the past 10 years, persecution has intensified, and currently, right now, it is leading to terrible consequences.
00:01:41.920 As you know, in Parliament, a law has been passed, which actually, in fact, bans the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
00:01:49.560 So our archbishops are subjected to persecution, there are completely false criminal cases opened up against them.
00:01:58.720 Our parishioners beaten, our church is taken away, so Satanism is flourishing in Ukraine.
00:02:09.280 So some metropolitans are in prison, some are under house arrest.
00:02:13.140 Some examples are Metropolitan Arsene, who's currently in prison, who's the head of the Sovetogors Collaborative.
00:02:20.920 He's in prison under completely false accusations.
00:02:24.460 Metropolitan Firosi, Metropolitan Luca, Metropolitan Anthony, they're all under house arrest.
00:02:31.020 Another big example is Metropolitan Longinus, who actually has an orphanage in his church, which has more than 600 disabled children.
00:02:39.400 He's a man of love, and he's still being persecuted, all for being faithful to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
00:02:53.180 Every day, churches and temples are seized by soldiers with machine guns who come in, who throw out priests, beat believers,
00:03:02.540 children, old people, women, countless priests, countless attempts of Chernovitsky, which is a temple that's been attempted to be taken over.
00:03:11.040 So every day, it is happening all over Ukraine.
00:03:13.560 One cannot help but feel deeply dissatisfied with these events, and one cannot help but fear that our churches may continue to experience this persecution from the government.
00:03:33.900 Why do you suppose Zelensky is doing this?
00:03:51.400 What is his motive?
00:03:52.500 It is important to understand the atmosphere that currently prevails in the country.
00:04:07.500 It is basically inciting hatred is the basis of politics.
00:04:11.760 The hatred that is based on lies, deceit.
00:04:15.300 Our church tells the truth.
00:04:16.580 Our church exposes sin, and our church basically is, right now, it's a favorable time for our church.
00:04:23.500 Everyone can show their loyalty and faith despite all the persecution, despite all of the oppression.
00:04:29.820 We pray for the authorities.
00:04:31.700 We pray for Zelensky, that at one point, they may come to their senses and stop.
00:04:35.940 We truly hope that Zelensky may fulfill his promise and restore religious peace, because 95 to 97 percent voted for Zelensky, voted for him as a peace president, and for him to stop the religious hatred going on in our country.
00:04:49.980 Why do you think the world has ignored this attack on Christianity in Ukraine?
00:05:07.300 I can tell you that a year ago, it was impossible to say a word of truth in the Western press, even the American press, about what is happening to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine.
00:05:20.900 There was a whole block on the truth of what is happening in religious life in Ukraine.
00:05:25.800 And the first person to break this wall of silence was you, who invited Robert Amsterdam, who is the official representative of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
00:05:37.280 who began speaking the truth, who began speaking the truth, and you broadcast this truth.
00:05:44.760 And for this, thank you.
00:05:46.640 And a big thank you to J.D. Vance, who, while he was still a congressman, raised his voice in support of our church.
00:05:56.360 He was the only politician in the West who defended our church.
00:06:00.360 At that time, it was extremely important for us.
00:06:02.960 But apart from you, no other serious publication would publish and would show what kind of attacks are taking place on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine.
00:06:19.800 Because Zelenskyy was given a vote of confidence, and in the eyes of the Western public, he became a leader of the nation.
00:06:26.320 And anything that he was doing was accepted without question.
00:06:29.680 But Zelenskyy is not an elected president at this point.
00:06:45.540 He's gone past his term, and there has been no election.
00:06:50.260 So he has, from what I can tell, no authority to do this.
00:06:56.280 By what authority is he doing this?
00:06:58.200 Well, it's the authority that he usurped for himself.
00:07:06.880 Basically, in accordance with the Constitution, there's an elected term of five years.
00:07:12.400 And the president cannot be elected for more than that.
00:07:16.000 This decision was made in May 2014, but everyone forgot about it.
00:07:20.000 Now the Constitutional Court is not working.
00:07:23.500 It was destroyed by Zelenskyy.
00:07:25.400 So there's no way to confirm or affirm.
00:07:28.380 There's no way to basically legitimize his role.
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00:09:15.340 Tucker says it best.
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00:10:14.540 So you're describing a dictatorship.
00:10:19.280 Are you worried about your safety after saying something like this?
00:10:26.540 Just appearing on your show, I already have an understanding that I will be further persecuted by the Zelensky government authorities.
00:10:33.200 As you know, I'm under sanctions.
00:10:41.680 I was personally sanctioned by Zelensky.
00:10:45.260 He signed three decrees imposing sanctions on me under various pretexts.
00:10:50.240 I have various criminal investigations going on against me for false and groundless accusations.
00:10:58.600 And after this interview, and after I say what I think is happening in our country,
00:11:02.840 I am sure that there will be more persecution against me.
00:11:06.580 But I'm not afraid.
00:11:07.700 It's actually illegal to impose sanctions against a Ukrainian citizen.
00:11:19.320 There's only one instance where you can, which is when it's been proven that he was financing terrorist activities.
00:11:24.780 So right now, sanctions are our president's favorite weapon.
00:11:31.900 He likes to hit whoever he can with them.
00:11:33.840 Any opponents, critics, businessmen, religious leaders.
00:11:37.920 So based on religious principles, I've been sanctioned based on religious principles for my support of the church for the last 20 years.
00:11:44.300 I've been put in a list with other religious individuals as the senior deacon of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
00:11:51.360 I'm number one on that list.
00:11:52.660 The judicial branch is not functioning and is currently paralyzed.
00:12:08.360 There are no laws at present.
00:12:10.200 As the president said, the constitution has been put on pause.
00:12:13.000 So these are indicators that currently there is a dictatorship.
00:12:26.120 A citizen's rights and freedoms are restricted.
00:12:29.280 There is no freedom of speech.
00:12:31.300 It is understandable that during wartime a person can't fully have freedom of speech,
00:12:35.560 but the president and his administration have fully monopolized the right to freedom of speech.
00:12:41.480 Rights are restricted.
00:12:43.100 Courts are not working.
00:12:44.680 All of these are indications of dictatorship.
00:12:51.600 People are subjected to forced mobilization,
00:12:56.000 where men are taken off the street, put in buses, and then sent to the front lines.
00:12:59.960 And the Ukrainian society, Ukrainian people are living in an atmosphere of fear.
00:13:11.560 So because if you express criticism of Zelensky,
00:13:14.700 then you have the secret police come in the next day,
00:13:17.700 and you will be subjected to persecution.
00:13:19.700 Of course, in wartime, it is essential for society to be united.
00:13:31.540 Instead, he divides them based on various criteria.
00:13:34.380 So religion, history, culture, heroes, language.
00:13:38.080 Society is divided.
00:13:40.400 It's a very unfair policy of division when it should be unification.
00:13:43.740 The United States is paying for all of this to happen.
00:14:01.460 The Speaker of the House of the United States Congress
00:14:04.300 is a man who describes himself as a Christian,
00:14:07.780 and he's been paying for this.
00:14:12.120 His name is Speaker Johnson.
00:14:13.380 I'm wondering if there's something that you'd like to say
00:14:16.520 to him and other Christians in the U.S. Congress
00:14:19.140 about the fact the money they send is being used
00:14:23.100 to extinguish the largest Christian denomination.
00:14:25.520 What would you say to them?
00:14:30.120 I would like to wish that the assistance
00:14:32.100 and the funds that are provided
00:14:34.120 keep being provided to the Ukrainian people.
00:14:36.900 Because right now, the Ukrainians are struggling for survival.
00:14:40.500 They're struggling for the survival of their families.
00:14:42.600 You have to understand that the Ukrainian authorities,
00:14:45.980 they live in parallel realities.
00:14:48.360 The Ukrainian people are thinking of how to survive,
00:14:51.740 how to feed their families,
00:14:53.060 how to be happy.
00:14:55.100 And it's a completely different reality
00:14:56.640 to the Ukrainian authorities.
00:14:58.080 The authorities live a different life,
00:15:12.720 so they profit from war.
00:15:15.220 And the national idea of the Ukrainian elite
00:15:17.080 is to steal money and to spend it abroad.
00:15:19.240 It would be great if the money that was sent
00:15:22.000 was spent optimally and to help the people.
00:15:24.960 And for this, ultimately, we need to keep an eye
00:15:27.360 on the way that the money is being spent
00:15:29.220 and the way it is used,
00:15:30.880 so that it's actually used for the benefit of the people
00:15:32.960 rather than for the Ukrainian elite.
00:15:35.120 Also, it would be good if the money that comes in,
00:15:53.000 if we don't spend it to support those
00:15:54.840 who are seizing our churches.
00:15:56.700 The only canonical church in Ukraine,
00:15:58.380 the largest denomination,
00:16:00.560 the thousand-year-old church
00:16:01.980 that is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
00:16:07.340 We have seen reports that Zelensky and his family
00:16:11.200 have become rich during the war.
00:16:13.320 Do you believe those reports are true?
00:16:17.060 So we have a saying,
00:16:18.600 there is no smoke without fire.
00:16:20.700 And if some information comes out,
00:16:22.680 then it means there's a possibility of it happening.
00:16:25.500 However, I can't say yes,
00:16:26.720 or I can't say no.
00:16:28.380 I can't confirm or deny.
00:16:30.340 There has to be irrefutable evidence
00:16:31.980 for us to be able to confirm it.
00:16:41.600 If there's one thing we've learned
00:16:42.820 over the past couple of years,
00:16:44.020 it's that when things go south unexpectedly,
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00:19:20.820 We have also received reports
00:19:23.380 that the Ukrainian government
00:19:25.160 has sold some number of NATO weapons.
00:19:29.540 Have you heard that?
00:19:30.580 And do you believe it's true?
00:19:32.480 I have no information on this.
00:19:34.780 I can't confirm or refute this.
00:19:36.360 You have to be very immersed
00:19:41.900 in this issue
00:19:42.660 and to be in Ukraine
00:19:43.780 to understand
00:19:44.440 whether that is true or false.
00:19:49.460 Yes.
00:19:51.100 How long have you known Zelensky?
00:19:58.120 Well, I think a lot of people
00:19:59.380 have known Zelensky well
00:20:00.420 before he became president,
00:20:01.780 when he was one of the best
00:20:03.280 or one of the most important people
00:20:04.920 in the entertainment industry.
00:20:11.080 He played serious roles
00:20:13.020 in TV shows
00:20:13.780 and he was a very important
00:20:15.220 entertainer in Ukraine.
00:20:19.800 I never personally encountered him,
00:20:22.500 but we became known to each other
00:20:24.000 after he became president.
00:20:26.360 He ran as the peace candidate,
00:20:29.180 you said.
00:20:30.720 What happened?
00:20:32.520 How did that change?
00:20:33.420 So, in the elections,
00:20:38.760 he received 73% of the votes.
00:20:41.060 73% of people
00:20:42.460 who voted for him
00:20:43.180 wanted peace.
00:20:44.380 He actually said
00:20:45.360 in his inauguration speech,
00:20:46.520 for the sake of peace,
00:20:47.740 I'm ready to sacrifice my fame,
00:20:49.560 my popularity,
00:20:50.820 my rating,
00:20:51.580 and my position of my post
00:20:52.980 if I have to,
00:20:54.340 if it will help bring peace.
00:20:56.200 He also said the following,
00:20:57.340 that I've been making Ukrainians smile
00:20:59.340 and for the next five years,
00:21:01.020 I want to make sure
00:21:01.760 that they don't cry.
00:21:03.260 So instead,
00:21:03.880 right now,
00:21:04.400 what do you see?
00:21:05.820 Instead of smiles on their faces,
00:21:07.300 there are tears on their faces.
00:21:09.240 And instead of giving up his position,
00:21:11.420 he's turning into a dictator.
00:21:13.200 And there's no peace in the country.
00:21:14.980 There's war under him.
00:21:16.700 War came to Ukraine
00:21:17.700 during his presidency.
00:21:18.700 And did he do everything
00:21:20.320 to avoid it?
00:21:21.500 That's a question
00:21:22.080 that many people
00:21:22.820 have begun asking.
00:21:24.200 Obviously not voicing it,
00:21:25.960 but in secret,
00:21:27.040 because they could face persecution.
00:21:29.520 Many are publicly asking it.
00:21:31.180 Unfortunately,
00:21:31.780 that is the case.
00:21:41.980 When Zelensky said
00:21:43.980 in the winter of 2022
00:21:47.020 that he wanted Ukraine
00:21:49.400 to join NATO,
00:21:51.900 he knew
00:21:52.740 that Russia would
00:21:55.160 come across the border
00:21:56.660 if Ukraine joined NATO.
00:21:59.420 But he said it anyway.
00:22:00.740 Why do you think he did that?
00:22:08.920 So what is the base
00:22:10.120 for Ukrainian sovereignty?
00:22:11.700 It's actually
00:22:12.520 the Declaration of Sovereignty
00:22:13.800 where it says
00:22:14.500 that Ukraine will have
00:22:15.440 a non-aligned status.
00:22:17.020 So it will not be part
00:22:18.080 of a bloc.
00:22:28.820 But in 2018,
00:22:31.360 during the election campaign,
00:22:32.800 Poroshenko,
00:22:33.580 the former president,
00:22:34.740 he made changes
00:22:35.340 to the Constitution
00:22:36.200 regarding Ukraine's
00:22:37.340 desire to join NATO.
00:22:39.060 This contradicted
00:22:39.800 the basic declaration
00:22:40.880 when, in the beginning,
00:22:42.120 Ukraine made the declaration
00:22:43.880 to be sovereign
00:22:44.840 and independent.
00:22:57.600 Zelensky knew perfectly well
00:22:59.000 that constantly mentioning
00:23:00.060 that we wanted
00:23:00.640 to be members of NATO
00:23:01.600 would annoy
00:23:02.220 our northern neighbor.
00:23:04.060 And he knew
00:23:04.480 that eventually
00:23:05.080 there could be
00:23:05.760 an invasion and war.
00:23:06.740 When I was deputy
00:23:08.360 in the parliament,
00:23:09.360 I said,
00:23:10.100 if anything were
00:23:10.760 to happen like this,
00:23:11.700 then Russia
00:23:12.060 would go all the way.
00:23:13.980 But nevertheless,
00:23:14.760 he kept mentioning it
00:23:15.780 and made it an option.
00:23:16.740 And it would have been
00:23:31.840 possible to avoid war
00:23:33.080 had Ukraine
00:23:33.700 implemented
00:23:34.160 the obligations
00:23:34.980 that it took on
00:23:35.920 by the Minsk agreements,
00:23:37.100 in accordance with which
00:23:40.960 Donetsk and Lugansk
00:23:42.200 received a certain
00:23:42.980 autonomous status
00:23:43.980 within Ukraine.
00:23:47.360 But despite the adoption
00:23:48.640 of the Minsk agreement
00:23:49.680 in 2015,
00:23:50.900 we kept stretching out
00:23:52.200 its actual implementation
00:23:53.320 for seven years
00:23:54.540 and actively build
00:23:58.300 an anti-Russia
00:23:59.160 in Ukraine.
00:24:00.280 I'm in no way
00:24:01.300 justifying Russia
00:24:02.240 and the Russian authorities
00:24:03.220 that they did this act
00:24:04.580 of aggression
00:24:05.020 upon Ukraine.
00:24:05.780 The issue is different.
00:24:08.780 The Ukrainian people
00:24:09.640 entrusted their power
00:24:10.660 to Zelenskyy
00:24:11.400 that he will not
00:24:12.340 allow a war
00:24:13.000 into the country
00:24:13.700 and that he will
00:24:14.360 provide peace.
00:24:17.620 The task of authorities
00:24:18.960 is to ensure
00:24:19.640 safe conditions
00:24:20.460 in the country
00:24:21.080 and good conditions
00:24:22.000 for development
00:24:22.680 and growth
00:24:23.400 and to ensure
00:24:24.560 security of its borders
00:24:25.940 and to try to live
00:24:31.880 in peace
00:24:32.400 or at least be neutral
00:24:33.640 with all of its neighbors.
00:24:35.780 Unfortunately,
00:24:41.080 it was Parashenko
00:24:41.820 who began this
00:24:42.660 and then Zelenskyy
00:24:43.800 continued
00:24:44.220 because he's
00:24:44.960 his worst copy.
00:24:46.600 But they got into
00:24:47.240 arguments
00:24:47.640 with all of their neighbors
00:24:48.680 so Russia,
00:24:49.660 Belarus,
00:24:50.340 Hungary,
00:24:50.860 Slovenia
00:24:51.360 had a whole lot
00:24:52.780 of arguments
00:24:53.280 with Poland.
00:24:58.660 Was Zelenskyy prepared
00:25:01.160 for the Russian invasion?
00:25:02.960 Did he know
00:25:03.560 it was coming?
00:25:11.820 So as you know,
00:25:13.320 I'm here
00:25:13.780 for the following reason
00:25:14.740 that a week ago
00:25:16.120 Zelenskyy accused me
00:25:17.300 of serious charges
00:25:18.340 that during the beginning
00:25:19.780 of the invasion
00:25:20.500 by phone
00:25:21.440 I tried to force him
00:25:22.500 to surrender,
00:25:23.220 to give up territory,
00:25:24.780 to basically betray
00:25:26.160 his homeland
00:25:26.740 in accordance
00:25:27.440 with Ukrainian law.
00:25:28.440 And I could say
00:25:30.000 that until the very end
00:25:31.200 Zelenskyy denied
00:25:32.160 that aggression
00:25:32.740 from Russia
00:25:33.380 was possible
00:25:34.360 despite the fact
00:25:35.400 that he had
00:25:35.960 irrefutable evidence
00:25:36.980 from Western counterparts
00:25:38.260 from intelligence
00:25:39.300 within Ukraine.
00:25:41.120 However,
00:25:41.560 he didn't do anything
00:25:42.240 to prevent it
00:25:42.960 because obviously
00:25:43.840 it's impossible
00:25:44.700 to prepare for a war
00:25:45.940 in such a short time
00:25:46.980 but it's also difficult
00:25:48.320 to fight
00:25:48.840 against such
00:25:49.380 a stronger enemy
00:25:50.280 so some preventative
00:25:51.920 measures should have
00:25:52.640 been taken.
00:25:53.240 On the 23rd of February,
00:26:08.540 a day before
00:26:09.160 the full-scale invasions,
00:26:10.740 Zelenskyy gathered together
00:26:11.780 at his oval table
00:26:12.760 in the office
00:26:13.680 of the president
00:26:14.300 all of the representatives
00:26:15.800 of the business.
00:26:20.400 And there he tried
00:26:21.500 to persuade everyone
00:26:22.400 that there's going
00:26:23.020 to be no invasion,
00:26:24.200 no war
00:26:24.720 and that them
00:26:25.600 as government authorities
00:26:26.560 are going to do
00:26:27.140 everything possible
00:26:28.080 for this war
00:26:28.940 not to happen.
00:26:33.140 And when I was given
00:26:33.820 a chance to speak,
00:26:34.860 I said that we had
00:26:35.880 listened to reports
00:26:36.640 from the security bloc,
00:26:38.240 the security forces
00:26:39.160 and that if there's
00:26:40.220 at least one chance
00:26:41.220 in a thousand
00:26:41.840 for us to do something
00:26:42.880 to prevent this war,
00:26:44.300 then we should
00:26:44.860 definitely do it
00:26:45.640 because the information
00:26:46.880 we heard was alarming
00:26:47.920 and we must do
00:26:49.540 everything possible
00:26:50.260 to prevent this
00:26:50.980 from happening
00:26:51.480 because Ukraine
00:26:52.660 needs peace.
00:26:53.900 People need peace.
00:27:00.180 And the next day
00:27:02.040 at 5 a.m.
00:27:02.820 the invasion began.
00:27:04.300 The war started.
00:27:05.760 I was in Kiev,
00:27:06.660 my whole family
00:27:07.260 was in Kiev.
00:27:08.300 By then,
00:27:08.940 it all started.
00:27:09.600 How many Ukrainians
00:27:13.080 have been killed
00:27:13.740 in this war
00:27:14.340 do you believe?
00:27:16.840 No one knows
00:27:17.780 the exact figure.
00:27:19.380 The only one
00:27:19.920 that knows
00:27:20.240 the exact figure
00:27:21.020 is God.
00:27:22.080 He knows
00:27:22.440 exactly how many.
00:27:26.620 Unfortunately,
00:27:27.340 no one knows
00:27:27.840 the exact figure.
00:27:29.360 There are official numbers
00:27:30.340 that have been voiced
00:27:31.080 personally by Zelensky.
00:27:32.660 There are numbers
00:27:33.280 that have been calculated
00:27:34.420 in the Western press
00:27:35.760 by Western war analysts.
00:27:38.360 There are numbers
00:27:38.880 that are going around
00:27:39.840 to the Ukrainian people,
00:27:41.000 but no one knows
00:27:41.840 the exact number.
00:27:43.140 I've heard it could be
00:27:43.960 tens of thousands,
00:27:45.280 hundreds of thousands,
00:27:46.340 but no one knows
00:27:46.940 the exact number.
00:27:48.120 But the number,
00:27:49.180 whatever it is,
00:27:50.420 is going on
00:27:51.280 too much.
00:27:51.940 Are you concerned
00:28:00.840 that given how many
00:28:03.780 Ukrainians have died
00:28:05.260 and have left,
00:28:07.520 that foreigners
00:28:08.840 will move into your country,
00:28:10.600 that you will get
00:28:11.360 huge migration
00:28:12.680 into Ukraine?
00:28:14.520 To be honest,
00:28:22.200 right now,
00:28:22.660 I'm more concerned
00:28:23.360 about peace in Ukraine
00:28:24.460 and an end
00:28:25.180 to this awful war
00:28:26.060 and to the end
00:28:27.280 of the loss of life.
00:28:28.540 We honestly pray
00:28:29.600 for this,
00:28:30.380 for peace
00:28:30.860 to reach our country.
00:28:32.320 And I'd like
00:28:32.820 to just thank
00:28:33.360 President Trump
00:28:34.080 for having the political will
00:28:35.700 and the strong desire
00:28:36.620 to end this war
00:28:37.380 because five months ago
00:28:38.520 it was impossible
00:28:39.440 to say that there
00:28:40.240 would be negotiations
00:28:41.120 between Russia
00:28:41.860 and Ukraine.
00:28:42.920 And right now,
00:28:43.740 they're going on
00:28:44.400 and new plans
00:28:45.120 for negotiations
00:28:45.880 are emerging.
00:28:46.920 And all of this
00:28:47.480 is thanks to
00:28:48.060 Trump's strong will.
00:28:49.880 Basically,
00:28:50.360 with Trump,
00:28:50.900 the U.S.
00:28:51.380 has begun
00:28:51.800 to export peace
00:28:52.860 to Ukraine.
00:29:05.200 And as for migrants,
00:29:07.140 I would just like
00:29:07.800 for all Ukrainians
00:29:08.960 to return home.
00:29:10.580 And after we've reached
00:29:11.520 peace through joint efforts
00:29:12.780 to rebuild Ukraine together,
00:29:14.400 and make it back
00:29:15.260 into the peaceful,
00:29:16.080 hardworking,
00:29:16.800 flourishing country
00:29:17.760 that it was
00:29:18.420 10 years ago.
00:29:19.240 can you reach a peace settlement
00:29:31.060 with Zelensky running
00:29:32.940 your government?
00:29:33.520 Is that possible?
00:29:34.520 It will be very difficult
00:29:37.800 to achieve,
00:29:40.540 even with the strong will
00:29:41.580 and influence
00:29:42.180 of President Trump.
00:29:43.680 Because on the path
00:29:44.500 to peace,
00:29:45.160 unfortunately,
00:29:45.980 the biggest obstacle
00:29:46.760 right now
00:29:47.260 is Zelensky himself,
00:29:48.920 as well as
00:29:49.480 his close circle.
00:29:50.200 my biggest obstacle
00:29:51.620 is Vladimir Zelensky
00:29:54.360 and his closest
00:29:55.380 окружение.
00:29:56.980 Well,
00:29:58.660 because when peace
00:29:59.540 comes,
00:30:00.280 there's a high probability
00:30:01.160 that Zelensky will
00:30:02.060 lose his power.
00:30:03.500 Many will start
00:30:04.080 asking questions
00:30:04.820 when peace comes,
00:30:05.840 like,
00:30:06.200 why was the war
00:30:06.860 allowed to happen?
00:30:08.180 Why wasn't
00:30:08.620 the Istanbul Agreement
00:30:09.440 signed?
00:30:10.480 Because we all know
00:30:11.280 the essence
00:30:11.740 of what was agreed
00:30:12.460 to in Istanbul.
00:30:13.140 and had it been
00:30:14.860 agreed to
00:30:15.360 and had it been
00:30:15.940 signed,
00:30:16.880 there would not
00:30:17.360 have been
00:30:17.780 hundreds of thousands
00:30:19.500 of lives lost.
00:30:20.980 There wouldn't have
00:30:21.600 been a threat
00:30:22.060 to the sovereignty
00:30:22.680 of Ukraine.
00:30:23.660 There would not
00:30:24.240 have been such
00:30:24.840 destruction.
00:30:26.040 And there would not
00:30:26.580 have been a loss
00:30:27.140 of territory,
00:30:27.940 which might happen
00:30:28.720 now.
00:30:43.140 If we trace
00:30:44.400 the history
00:30:44.900 of the signings
00:30:45.720 of various agreements
00:30:46.660 starting from
00:30:47.300 the Minsk Agreement
00:30:48.100 and then to
00:30:48.940 the Istanbul Agreement,
00:30:50.440 unfortunately,
00:30:51.120 with every agreement,
00:30:52.100 the terms and conditions
00:30:53.260 of the agreements
00:30:53.920 deteriorated for Ukraine.
00:30:56.460 There were worse
00:30:57.040 and worse.
00:30:58.060 They became
00:30:58.420 more unfavorable.
00:30:59.780 And unfortunately,
00:31:01.220 if there is
00:31:01.600 another agreement,
00:31:02.460 which I hope there is,
00:31:04.080 but unfortunately,
00:31:04.880 the conditions
00:31:05.340 will be even
00:31:05.900 more unfavorable.
00:31:07.140 But a lot of lives
00:31:08.060 have been lost
00:31:08.600 in the process
00:31:09.280 and a lot of blood
00:31:10.100 has spilled.
00:31:13.820 My last question,
00:31:15.500 and thank you
00:31:15.860 for taking the time
00:31:16.680 to do this interview,
00:31:18.300 is what can Christians
00:31:19.820 around the world
00:31:21.200 do to help you,
00:31:23.340 churches around the world,
00:31:24.540 believers around the world
00:31:25.400 do to help you
00:31:26.440 as you try to prevent
00:31:28.460 Zelensky from extinguishing
00:31:30.180 Christianity in Ukraine?
00:31:34.020 In this process
00:31:35.740 of persecution
00:31:36.460 against the Ukrainian
00:31:37.460 Orthodox Church,
00:31:38.780 unfortunately,
00:31:39.740 a large part
00:31:40.340 has been taken
00:31:40.900 by the ecumenical
00:31:41.900 patriarch Bartholomew
00:31:43.120 of Constantinople.
00:31:45.140 Unfortunately,
00:31:45.880 they are doing
00:31:46.740 this together.
00:31:48.180 And the fact
00:31:48.600 that not once
00:31:49.300 has he raised his voice
00:31:50.320 and supported
00:31:50.820 the Ukrainian
00:31:51.340 Orthodox Church,
00:31:52.400 despite all of its
00:31:53.360 persecution,
00:31:54.080 proves that he is
00:31:54.740 actually involved
00:31:55.560 in all of this.
00:31:57.160 But we do receive
00:31:57.880 a lot of support.
00:31:58.900 We receive a lot
00:31:59.660 of support
00:32:00.040 from the Jerusalem
00:32:00.760 Church,
00:32:01.380 the Georgia Church,
00:32:02.340 the Serbian Church,
00:32:03.340 and their patriarchs.
00:32:05.100 And we receive
00:32:05.600 a lot of brotherly
00:32:06.360 love and support
00:32:07.100 and a lot of prayer,
00:32:08.220 because that is
00:32:08.720 our main strength,
00:32:09.760 prayer.
00:32:10.840 And the Church
00:32:11.340 will not be defeated.
00:32:12.420 A true
00:32:13.060 canonical Church
00:32:14.020 will not be defeated.
00:32:15.520 The Communists
00:32:16.040 cannot defeat us
00:32:16.960 in the 20th century,
00:32:18.180 because Christ
00:32:18.780 is the Church.
00:32:20.000 The head
00:32:20.220 of the Church
00:32:20.660 is Christ.
00:32:22.140 And consequences
00:32:22.740 will be bad
00:32:23.460 for those
00:32:23.880 who oppose Him.
00:32:25.180 And we will
00:32:25.520 pass these trials,
00:32:26.680 and we will
00:32:27.000 be purified.
00:32:28.120 And we are
00:32:28.720 very grateful
00:32:29.260 to you
00:32:29.780 and for everyone
00:32:30.900 doing anything
00:32:31.700 for our Church.
00:32:41.520 Amen.
00:32:42.760 Nicely put.
00:32:44.080 And many are
00:32:44.680 praying for you.
00:32:45.340 Thank you for telling
00:32:46.660 us about the darkness
00:32:47.460 in Ukraine.
00:32:49.300 I appreciate it.
00:32:50.940 Thank you.
00:32:51.920 Thank you.
00:32:56.480 We want to thank you
00:32:57.360 for watching us
00:32:57.980 on Spotify,
00:32:58.880 a company that we use
00:32:59.840 every day.
00:33:00.480 We know the people
00:33:00.900 who run it,
00:33:01.400 good people.
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00:33:07.340 an episode.
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00:33:17.180 Thanks for watching.