American Orthodox Archbishop Alexei has issued a public apology for his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which sparked widespread criticism.
The archbishop, who serves as the Bishop of Alaska for the Orthodox Church in America, met Putin on August 15, 2025, at Fort Richardson National Cemetery near Anchorage, following Putin’s summit with former US President Donald Trump.
During the meeting, Archbishop Alexei and Putin exchanged holy icons, with Putin giving icons of St. Herman and the Mother of God, and Alexei presenting Putin with an icon he had received upon becoming bishop.
However, the gesture was met with strong condemnation from Ukrainian Orthodox leaders in the US, who denounced the meeting as “a betrayal of Christian witness” and accused Alexei of endorsing Putin’s actions amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine ¹.
In his apology, Archbishop Alexei acknowledged that he had made a mistake by not using the opportunity to call for peace.
“I sincerely ask your forgiveness,” he wrote, accepting full responsibility for the confusion and pain his actions caused.
He explained that his intention was to honor the Church’s historical legacy, not to express political approval, stating that “the honor passes not to him, but to heaven itself”.
The controversy surrounding the meeting shows the deep divisions within the Orthodox Christian community over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA has been vocal in its criticism of Putin’s actions, and the incident has laid bare the complex interplay of faith, politics, and national identity.