EDITOR’S NOTE (Nick Stamatakis). The combined West is in extreme panic. As the war turns increasingly against Ukraine, Washington and its European allies are trying virtually every conceivable channel to obtain a ceasefire before the situation deteriorates further. But they face a fundamental obstacle that no diplomatic maneuver can easily overcome: the Russians no longer trust them. Not a little, not selectively—practically not at all. Moscow will never swallow the failed Minsk agreements because of the West’s planned undermining, as Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande admitted two years ago. The subsequent course of the war has hardened the conviction inside the Russian leadership that Western promises of a ceasefire or negotiated settlement will simply provide Ukraine time to regroup and rearm. The greatest difficulty for the West, therefore, may no longer be finding another mediator. It is coming to terms with the possibility that its Ukraine strategy has failed—and accepting the political and strategic consequences of that defeat.
Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, however, is not quite like the other emissaries who have attempted to open Moscow’s door. He has maintained comparatively friendly relations with the Russian Orthodox world and, crucially, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem has never recognized the Orthodox Church of Ukraine created under the 2019 Tomos of autocephaly. Theophilos instead sought a pan-Orthodox solution to the Ukrainian ecclesiastical dispute, convening the Amman gathering in 2020—a position that earned him considerable goodwill in Moscow. Even observers far from sympathetic to Russia acknowledge that Jerusalem has remained among the Orthodox patriarchates closest to the Russian position on the Ukrainian church question. Jerusalem itself also occupies an extraordinary place in Russian religious consciousness, reinforced by generations of Russian pilgrimage to the Holy Land and by the substantial Russian-speaking Orthodox presence in Israel.
There is even a personal dimension for Vladimir Putin. In the early 1990s, before he became Russia’s president, his devout Orthodox mother gave him his baptismal cross and asked him to have it blessed at the Tomb of Christ during a visit to Jerusalem. Putin later recounted that he fulfilled her request and thereafter kept the cross with him; as president, he returned to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in 2012, where Patriarch Theophilos personally received him. All of this means that Theophilos has a better chance than most Western-backed intermediaries of being received in Moscow—and particularly by Putin—with genuine respect and a friendly hearing. But being heard is not the same thing as changing Russia’s position. Theophilos may succeed in opening a door that is closed to others; he is exceedingly unlikely to persuade the Kremlin to abandon objectives it now believes it can achieve on the battlefield merely to give the West the ceasefire it so urgently wants.
In conclusion, his chances are very slim to zero… The Russians have made up their mind…
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Exclusive — Orthodox Church Patriarch Theophilos III Message to Trump as He Seeks to Help End Ukraine War: ‘Blessed Are the Peacemakers’
Theophilos III met with American President Donald Trump at the White House earlier this summer to award Trump one of the Orthodox Church’s highest honors, the Grand Cross of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. The Jerusalem-based Orthodox leader also left the White House with the blessing of Trump to help mediate an end to the war in Ukraine.
His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Patriarch of Jerusalem, all Palestine, and Jordan, met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington to discuss safeguarding the authentic Christian presence in the Holy Land and the wider Middle East on June 5, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Jerusalem Patriarchate)
During Breitbart News’s most recent trip to Greece this August, Theophilos III agreed to an interview via written questions submitted to him at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, Israel, with plans for a deeper trip and interview in person later. Asked about his role and the Patriarchate’s role in helping to heal the divide in the Orthodox Church at the center of the Russian war in Ukraine, Theophilos III said the Patriarchate of Jerusalem “holds a unique position in the Christian world.”
“Here, the Church was first revealed,” Theophilos III told Breitbart News. “The Patriarchate is recognised worldwide as the ‘Mother Church,’ as well as being the Church of the Holy Land, the Church that ministers in the places where the events of the salvation of the human race took place. Therefore, the mission of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem is not limited to a specific church or solely to the care of particular holy sites. The responsibility of this Church is far broader than that. The Patriarchate of Jerusalem is a point of reference for unity, dialogue, and peaceful coexistence among peoples. We live this every day in the Holy Land, and we seek to support those in regions of the world beset by disunity and conflict. The ministry of reconciliation, both at home and globally, is our greatest challenge and our greatest responsibility today.”
He said his personal role is also “unique,” and that he believes that with Trump’s endorsement of these efforts to serve as a mediator he can help bring peace to Ukraine serving as a “peacemaker.”
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III enters the Basilica of the Nativity within the shared Nativity Church complex in the biblical city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank as Eastern Christians mark Christmas Eve on January 6, 2026. (HAZEM BADER / AFP via Getty Images)
“As Patriarch, I have a unique role. My vocation is first and foremost to worship God, and I must also tend to my flock — whether indigenous or pilgrim,” Theophilos III told Breitbart News. “Yet the Patriarch of Jerusalem is also a peacemaker. Religious leaders around the world possess the spiritual and moral authority to speak into conflicts and promote peace in ways that few others can. The lessons we learn in ministry teach us to listen well, and our positions of leadership enable us to elevate the voices of the downtrodden. I was most humbled to receive President Trump’s endorsement in June to serve as a mediator to help bring about a resolution to this conflict. I was deeply humbled by his support in this matter. I am also grateful for the support this mission has received from the Greek State and from His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. We and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem are committed to the spiritual mission of reconciliation for the peoples of Ukraine and Russia. In the spirit of the namesake of my friend, the late Pope Francis, I recall the words of St. Francis of Assisi, ‘Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.’ Through fervent prayer, by the grace of God, with the support of the international community, and strengthened by the willingness of all sides to listen actively and reorient our focus toward the flourishing of all, I pray that the Patriarchate may help bring peace to Ukraine. My role is not political. Rather, as a religious leader, it is to keep the channels of communication open and remind those in power of the virtues of dialogue, love, and peace making.”
Theophilos III told Breitbart News that he is working on scheduling meetings soon with both Putin and Zelensky, whom he hopes to have a “constructive dialogue” with to help achieve peace in the Orthodox world.
“In this spirit, we are working towards meeting with both President Putin and President Zelensky as part of these very efforts,” he said. “President Putin is a faithful practicing member of the Orthodox Church and President Zelensky is spiritually reflective and faithful. Both Presidents bare considerable responsibilities, and we very much look forward to working with them to open channels of communication and constructive dialogue.”
Theophilos III met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington to discuss safeguarding the authentic Christian presence in the Holy Land and the wider Middle East on June 5, 2026. (Jerusalem Patriarchate)
Theophilos III also told Breitbart News that “it is incredibly painful” to see two predominantly Orthodox nations—Ukraine and Russia—fighting with one another and that the church “suffers” through this war.
“We are called to live in harmony with one another, and we lament any disunity among Orthodox churches. St Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians Chapter 12:21, ‘The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’, nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ St Paul teaches us that we are interconnected and must care for one another, writing in verse 26, ‘If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.’ Through this war, the church suffers,” he said. “As siblings, of course we bicker and have disagreements. But we must always be conscious of our fundamental unity and make serious efforts to repair our relations when there are disagreements. We began this hard and important work in 2020 under the auspices of His Majesty King Abduallah II of Jordan – the Hashemite Custodian over Muslim and Christian Holy Sites in the Holy Land — at the Amman Fraternal Gathering on Dialogue and Unity, where fellow Patriarchs and Heads of Orthodox Churches came together for a fraternal discussion. It is my hope and prayer that gatherings such as this can continue to take place, so the church may be a source of peace rather than a reason for division.”
When asked what it will take to bring peace to Ukraine, he said it is important for the leaders to “start with the basics.”
“As a church, we must work to heal the wounds within the Orthodox church, so that our fraternal bonds might be strong once again. As countries, my prayer is that Russia and Ukraine can find the means to enter into dialogue, focused not only on the end to hostilities but to the flourishing of Ukrainians and Russians alike,” Theophilos III said. “Back in 2023, while on an official visit to the Vatican, meeting the late Pope Francis, I committed myself and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem to assist any and all parties on the journey towards reconciliation. This is our spiritual mission. There is one word I want to emphasize, and that is journey. I do not believe reconciliation and peace can happen overnight, but we must begin the process. Let us start with the basics. Those in power must be willing actively to listen to one another. But equally critically we must listen to the voices of the families, children, and communities who are suffering. We must hear the stories of those who wish to educate their children, live in peace, worship freely, and find community. This requires a reorientation away from marginal gains on the battlefield towards envisioning the future for both countries through the eyes of those removed from the corridors of power, through the eyes of parents trying to build a future for their children.”
Theophilos III also told Breitbart News that he and church leaders are hopeful as well for peace in Iran and the broader Middle East as well.
“In Jerusalem, we are weary of war. Our churches in Gaza had only begun to pick up the pieces when Iranian missiles and rockets from the Israeli Iron Dome began flying overhead. My fellow Patriarchs and Heads of Churches of the Holy Land issued a statement calling it ‘a relentless cycle of death, destruction, and frightful suffering.’ And for you, I recall what we, together, wrote at Easter about this conflict.”
He quoted next from his Easter message about the war in Iran, where he argued for an end to bloodshed.
“In keeping with this profound truth, we bid the faithful and all those of goodwill to work and pray ceaselessly for the relief of the countless multitudes throughout the Middle East and beyond who are suffering severely from the ravages of this war,” Theophilos III’s Easter message reads. “Likewise, we appeal to them to advocate and intercede for an immediate end to the bloodshed and for justice and peace to finally prevail throughout our war-torn region, beginning in Jerusalem and extending to Gaza, Lebanon, and all the Holy Land; to the Gulf States and Tehran; and to the ends of the earth.”
His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington to discuss safeguarding the authentic Christian presence in the Holy Land and the wider Middle East on June 5, 2026. (Jerusalem Patriarchate)
Theophilos III added in a quote to Breitbart News on this point that: “We pray for those in power to continue having the courage, determination and strength to show restraint and commit themselves to this hard task of negotiation and reconciliation.”
“President Trump is one of the most powerful leaders in the world,” Theophilos III said. “He does not have a magic wand to wave that can bring peace, but his office, influence, gravitas, and authority make him a vital and central figure in the establishment of peace. We clearly see his sway and what he is doing for Christians around the world – we see in him the protector of Christians. I do not pretend to take the place of his numerous esteemed advisers, but if I were to give advice as the Patriarch of Jerusalem it would be to empower those working to end the conflict to find hope. This hope is not only in the cessation of fighting, but hope in a vision whereby communities are rebuilt, families are reunited, and children have a secure future.
In Jerusalem, when the conflict seems inextricable, we find ourselves at Easter. In that season, we are reminded to choose hope and are reminded of its power. Instilled in us is a resurrection hope for the life to come, yes, but also a transformative hope for the world we live in, that we may all live in the peace of Christ. I would like to leave President Trump with the words of Christ, ‘blessed are the peacemakers.’”
More from Theophilos III’s interview with Breitbart News is forthcoming.
Tώρα ποὺ ὁ «μεγάλος εἰρηνοποιὸς», Πατριάρχης Ἱεροσολύμων Θεόφιλος, (ὁ ὁποῖος διέλυσε τὸ Πατριαρχεῖο Ἱεροσολύμων, διοικώντάς το σὰν Δικτάτορας, καθαιρώντας μὲ συνοπτικὲς διαδικασίες, ὁποιονδήποτε ὰπὸ τοὺς Κληρικοὺς τοῦ Πατριαρχείου τολμήσει νὰ ἐκφράσει κάποια διαμαρτυρία γιὰ τὴν διοίκησή του, βλέπε ὑπόθεση Ἀρχιεπισκόπου Ἀσκάλωνος Νικηφόρου), μὲ τὶς εὐλογίες τοῦ ἄλλου «μεγάλου εἰρονοποιοῡ», τοῦ ἐλέω Θεοῦ, Προέδρου τῶν ΗΠΑ Τράμπ, ὁ ὁποῖος ἀναστάτωσε ὅλον τὸν κόσμο μὲ τὶς ἀλλοπρόσαλλες ἐνέργειὲς του, ἀποφάσισε νὰ ἀναλάβει τὴν προσπάθεια γιὰ τήν εἰρήνευση μεταξύ Ρωσίας καὶ Οὺκρανίας, μποροῦμε νὰ κοιμώμαστε σίγουροι ὅτι σύντομα θὰ τελειώσει καὶ ὁ ἐν λόγω πόλεμος!!!
Ὁ Ἀσκάλωνος Νικηφόρος
I can understand mediation between Moscow and Constantinople.
I cannot understand mediation between Moscow and Constantinople + Epiphanios and his gang…
The latter scenario destroys any semblance of neutrality that a mediator must possess, by “legitimizing” the presence of Epiphanios. I am increasingly skeptical about the commitment of a Jerusalem Patriarchate that is “cash strapped” to the Traditions and Canons of the Church, especially after the Patriarch visited the US and met with the highest officials of the land…
We have seen a “flip-flopping” scenario in Constantinople already…money from the Czar was eagerly accepted in order to allow the Russian takeover of Panteleimon monastery in Mt. Athos in the late 1800s/ early 1900s, and just 120 years later, it is clear that Constaninople is aligned with “other geopolitical overlords”… Jerusalem has been the beneficiary of a lot of Russian capital “donation”…is that about to be “replaced”, in the same way that the Patriarchate of Alexandria was “reminded” of the “capital infusions” it receives to survice each year…(and then Patriarch Theodoros decided to “commemorate” Epiphanios, despite his prior public support of Ounoufry)?
Let’s see what happens…
Nick,
On another Russia-Ukraine story your indicated that Russia needed to capture both Kiev and Odesa. Do you you still see this as a viable goal for Russia? And what you you think of the prospect of Russia trying to rule over so many Ukrainians in those places? Wouldn’t it be a forever-war for the Russians?
The Russians are ahead in this war. They should seek a peace that would let them quit while they are ahead. As before, I advocate a peace deal based on the current line-of-control. This would let Russia retain Crimea and almost all of the Donbass.
Kyiv is the “Jerusalem of the Russians,” and Odesa was built 250 years ago by Catherine the Great; even today, it is overwhelmingly Russian-speaking and has a Russian national identity. Both cities are very symbolic and very close to the Russian heart – the equivalent of Salonica and Smyrna and Constantinople for us Greeks. They will very likely become Russian again. Who and what is to stop them?
Western Ukraine historically belonged to Poland, and the mix of ethnicities that lived there gave rise to the Ukronazia. They fought with the Waffen-SS during WW II and took part in the holocaust of over $1 million Ukrainian Jews. Russian leaders have invited multiple times Poland, Hungary, and Romania to take over Western Ukraine. A very substantial Hungarian and Romanian minority lives there.
What would stop this hope of Russian control of Kiev and Odesa, you ask.
The grim answer is massive Ukrainian civilian resistance, including terrorism. A forever-war.
That fantasy has preoccupied the West for centuries. How many more times does the Russian Army need to hold “victory parades” in Paris and Berlin before the Banksters/Puppeteers of the City of London realize they will NOT steal the mineral and other riches of Russia?
The arrogant West never learns. They are totally incompetent in ground war (mainly the British and the Americans), and yet they think they can beat the Russian Army. Hitler’s Wehrmacht and the SS, who were arguably competent in Ground war, were defeated, devastated, and slaughtered in WWII. The Russians lost 27 million dead – yes, DEAD – During WWII, and they were the ones to whom we owe the victory against the Nazis – and not the “Diva/primadona” called General Patton. How many Americans were lost? 450,000 with double the population… Should I remind you that after WWII we Americans invited (“Operation Paperclip”) thousands of Nazis to come to the States and organize the American army and the CIA? It was not only Werner von Braun and the Space program…
Many Germans still today want to take revenge for their 1945 defeat… In the same way, they want to take revenge on the Greeks, who posed the most glorious resistance to them from all nations in Europe. And still today they refuse to pay Greece reparations!. They even refuse to pay the loan they signed and took from the Bank of Greece in 1942 – a totally legal obligation which they themselves recognized!!
This is the kind of evil vengeance we are talking about…
Do you really want me to go on? I am part of the German Reparations Committee and – in memory of the thousands of victims of the Nazis in my own neighborhood in Pireaus – I will do everything possible to help raise awareness on these issues…
FOOTNOTE: I will repeat here that the basic foundations for geopolitical analysis are two: knowledge of history and geography. Both are in very short supply in America. President Trump still has difficulty finding Ukraine on the map… or Iran… Before he became President, I can guarantee you he could not…
I agree with your comments about the Russian losses in World War II, reparations for the German atrocities, and also about the negative role played by Great Britain over the years.
My concern, essentially ignored in your comment, is that a Russian effort to rule as far west as Kiev and Odesa, would continue the war rather than end it.
Defeats in wars have consequences as we Greeks know all too well. Kiev’s population has already left in its majority and will eventually replaced by mostly pro-Russians. Odessa’s population is already heavily Russian. This is the basis for peace. Along with the need at some point to accept the defeat and sign a peace treaty, as Greece did after 1922.
John, you bring up good points. However the idea that the RF wants all of the Ukraine is nonsensical. So nonsensical in fact that I believe it is a EU talking point, something along the lines of “the Russians are coming! The Russians are coming!”
As for the eastern third of the Ukraine, clearly the Russians want Kharkov and Odessa.
As for the western parts of the Ukraine, those people are whackadoodle neonazis: nobody wants them. The Russians have already let out feelers to the Poles, Romanians, and Hungarians that they can take their parts back.
That leaves Kiev. I’m not sure that the Russians want it. There has been talk that Kiev would be the capital of a rump but neutral Ukraine.
On another tangent (and to nobody in particular), remember all those hundreds of thousands of M-16s and AR-15s that the Kiev government supposedly gave out to the vast majority of Ukrainian civilians in April of 2022? How come civilians have to be rounded up and dragooned into the Ukrainian Army to fight the Russians? Does this not indicate that perhaps the majority of Ukrainians are not against Russia?
Or does it indicate that they were never given those ARs in the first place?
This is a serious quesiton.
George,
You may be quite right that Russia does not want Kiev. But our host Nick has made it clear that HE wants to see Russia get Kiev.
And ending the war may turn on the issue of who gets Kiev.
Each one of us can hypothesize on the eventual course of the war. Right now there is widespread agreement among objective observers that Odesa will fall into Russian hands soon. It is blockaded and bombarded and almost surrounded. But if Odesa falls getting Kiev will be inevitable. There is no point to keep it as a capital of the remaining Ukrainians state, because such a landlocked state would not be viable – among other reasons.
I apologize in advance for being a Debbie Downer; but this Patr. Theophilos-As-Mediator Idea was floated in June, and it was shot down:
https://religionnews.com/2026/06/10/trumps-meeting-with-orthodox-christian-patriarch-sows-confusion/
The patriarch hasn’t protected Middle Eastern Orthodox Christians. How will he stop the Ukraine fiasco?
I wish him the best, but I am extremely skeptical of the entire thing.
And we still need to oppose the Zelensky award, regardless.
Good insights.
That said, I don’t believe that any Christian prelate can save the Christians of the Middle East. Not because they don’t want to but because they can’t. The West is too beholden to the Zionist lobby for this to happen.
Patriarch Theophilus’ peace crusade likely has an ulterior motive of drawing attention to the Jerusalem Patriarchate and Orthodox Christians in the Middle East. There is fundamentally a PR battle at stake. Zionist Christians in the U.S. don’t really think much of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, so why should Netanyahu? The meeting with Donald Trump was a smart move.