Trump’s top pastor tours war-torn Ukraine to become “voice of truth” for US leadership [updated]

Donald Trump’s top pastor, Mark Burns, visited war crime sites in Ukraine on the third anniversary of Bucha’s liberation from the Russian occupation.

Pastor Mark Burns is an American evangelical minister, televangelist, motivational speaker, and political figure. He gained national recognition as a prominent supporter of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election. He was labeled by Time magazine as “Donald Trump’s Top Pastor” and named one of the “16 People Who Shaped the 2016 Presidential Election” by Yahoo News.

He served on Trump’s Evangelical Faith Advisory Council during his presidency from 2016 to 2020. Following Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election, Burns publicly claimed election fraud occurred, maintaining that Trump was the rightful winner.

Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe Azman characterized Burns as “a well-known figure in religious and political circles in the United States, whose voice today carries weight in shaping America’s new strategy and policy.”

Rabbi Azman, who extended the invitation to Burns, accompanied the pastor to Bucha, Irpin, and Borodyanka – sites of war crimes during Russian occupation in 2022.

“What he saw deeply affected him — he did not hide his pain, outrage, and sincere compassion,” Azman wrote.

Azman expressed confidence that Burns, whom he described as “a person who has the opportunity to be heard where major decisions are made,” would convey these experiences to key figures in the Trump administration.

[updated]

Mark Burns urged increased military support for Ukraine following his visit to areas affected by the Russian invasion, where he witnessed evidence of civilian casualties and destruction.

“These soldiers on the front lines are not asking for money. They are asking for 1,000 tanks, 300 F-35s, anti-air weapons to shoot down the drones that still fire at civilian buildings,” Burns stated after his visit.

The pastor described witnessing evidence of civilian deaths and hearing accounts of targeted violence against religious leaders. According to Burns, approximately 700 religious buildings have been deliberately destroyed because “they are often the only source of hope offered to the Ukrainian people.”

Burns characterized the conflict as transcending partisan politics, stating:

“The war in Ukraine is bigger than Democrats or Republicans, the Left or the Right.”

He added that his perspective focused on humanitarian concerns rather than political considerations.

Bucha massacre

Ukrainian forces reclaimed Bucha and the surrounding community on 31 March 2022. The liberation revealed evidence of widespread civilian casualties, with bodies found on streets, in homes, and in mass graves, many showing signs of torture. 

Police reports indicated Russian snipers targeted civilians despite their wearing mandated white armbands. German intelligence, based on intercepted radio communications from Russian forces, suggested these killings weren’t random but possibly a deliberate intimidation tactic.

​Zelenskyy emphasized that these atrocities exemplify a broader pattern of destruction in Ukrainian cities under Russian occupation. He contrasted Ukraine’s European values, which uphold human life and dignity, with Russia’s actions, where civilians are subjected to killing, abuse, and displacement. Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine fights to protect its people and prevent such atrocities in the future.