Evangelist Franklin Graham called on Christians worldwide to pray for a pivotal summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The meeting, scheduled for Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, is focused on ending the war in Ukraine in a summit that experts say could determine not only the trajectory of the war but also the fate of European security.
Graham, 72, shared his call to prayer on social media.
“Today is the day. Join me in praying for our President, Donald J. Trump, as he meets with President Putin,” Graham, who met Putin in 2015 and prayed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in May, urged. “Pray that God will give President Trump His wisdom that surpasses all understanding. And pray for President Putin, that God would work in his heart to bring peace and an end to the bloodshed.”
In March, Graham called for an end to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict after a tense meeting between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Zelensky.
In a social media post, Graham acknowledged that the meeting “was tense and unfortunately did not end well,” adding, “The progress we had all hoped for is again delayed. Pray for the people of Ukraine, and that there would be an end to this terrible war.”
As the CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the Evangelical aid charity Samaritan’s Purse, Graham’s organizations have actively provided relief to the Ukrainian people since Russia invaded the eastern European nation three years ago.
Russia invaded Ukrainian territory in February 2022, claiming it wanted to secure the rights of pro-Russian communities in Eastern Ukraine regions like Donetsk and Luhansk. In the days after the invasion, Samaritan’s Purse deployed disaster response specialists to Poland and Romania, where refugees fleeing the war-torn nation were arriving in large numbers. In April 2022, Graham preached an Easter sermon in Ukraine.
Graham’s call to prayer comes as Orthodox Christians, who represent the majority faith in both Russia and Ukraine, held a multi-day prayer event in Alaska ahead of the summit.
The Orthodox Church of America (OCA), the offshoot of Russian Orthodox missionaries nearly two centuries ago, has over 80 parishes across Alaska and hundreds more across North America, according to Associated Press.
Starting on Aug. 12, Archbishop Alexei of the Diocese of Sitka and Alaska called for all those in his diocese to pray “for the intercessions of Saint Olga so that peace may be achieved in the upcoming summit and that families suffering and broken be given relief and comfort.”
“Our world continues to grieve the war in Ukraine and the immeasurable sorrow borne by Ukrainian and Russian faithful alike,” the archbishop said in a statement. “Whatever earthly negotiations may achieve, we know that ‘the hearts of kings are in the hand of the Lord’ (Proverbs 21:1). We therefore set aside this week as a time for the Diocese of Sitka and Alaska to pray for peace in Ukraine and Russia.”
