U.S. archbishop who met with Putin in Alaska apologizes for not asking him to end the war
Orthodox Church in America (OCA) Archbishop Alexei of Sitka and Alaska apologized for not asking Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine during their meeting in Anchorage. His statement was published on the OCA website.
The archbishop met with Putin on August 15, after the Russian leader held talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska. During the meeting, Putin presented him with an icon.
Archbishop Alexei said he had received the Russian president “in a peaceful spirit of hospitality after three days of diocesan wide prayer for peace.” But since then, he said, “I have heard from many who viewed that moment as a missed opportunity for a rebuke or demand for peace amid ongoing conflict and suffering.”
“I ask forgiveness of all whom my actions have wounded or troubled, especially those who have lost loved ones,” he said.
The church said the meeting was arranged on Archbishop Alexei’s own initiative and was not approved by the OCA’s Holy Synod. It added that it has condemned “the aggression against Ukraine” since the start of the war, and that Alexei’s actions do not reflect its official position.
