When U.S. President Donald Trump paused army support to Ukraine final month, the person described as his "non secular advisor," Pastor Mark Burns, backed the choice.
This week, Burns is urging him to ship Kyiv extra tanks, fighter jets, and air protection.
"I now imagine that supporting Ukraine is America first," he advised the Kyiv Unbiased in an interview on April 9.
Burns's dramatic shift in stance comes after a visit to Ukraine the place he witnessed the atrocities dedicated by Russia first-hand, visiting the positioning of a missile assault in Kryvyi Rih, which killed 20 folks, together with 9 youngsters.
Yesterday, a Russian missile struck Kryvyi Rih, killing 16, together with 6 youngsters. A tragic lack of harmless lives. The world should condemn this brutality and stand with Ukraine in opposition to such terror. Religion is a selection, not a sense! pic.twitter.com/Qbe0HqlB2P
— Pastor Mark Burns (@pastormarkburns) April 6, 2025
The Kyiv Unbiased spoke with Burns to search out out extra about his go to, and why he's now urging everybody to "throw politics out the window" and again Ukraine.
Editor's be aware: The interview has been edited for language and readability.
The Kyiv Unbiased: Are you able to describe what has precipitated you to vary your stance on Ukraine?
Pastor Mark Burns: Clearly being on the bottom in Ukraine has modified my opinion considerably. I’m on report as being one of many staunch opponents of supporting Ukraine.
Nevertheless it took me being in Kyiv, being at Bucha, seeing the atrocities which have taken place, harmless lives being killed, executed, and understanding the practically 700 spiritual establishments have been deliberately focused by the Russians, and 20,000 youngsters have been kidnapped and deported again to Russia, not together with the 1.3 million youngsters which might be unaccounted for.
Once you hear these atrocities… It modified my perspective considerably. I now imagine that supporting Ukraine is America first.
I’m nonetheless a staunch supporter of who I imagine is the best president in my lifetime — President Donald Trump.
And so my assist for Ukraine isn’t a stab at him, however a name to each Republican, each conservative, each American, and people around the globe who, like me, have been brainwashed by pretend information media about Ukraine.
For example, pretend information instructed that Ukraine hated church buildings, Ukraine hated ministries, that they deliberately destroyed ministries.
Effectively, that could be a bold-faced lie, as a result of I used to be within the midst of a few of Ukraine's best non secular leaders from all completely different sects, spiritual organizations, in a single room in Kyiv, and so they all have the identical frequent floor — they’ve the best to apply their religion in Ukraine.
Once I was on the bottom, and also you're speaking to those folks, and when you see the atrocities by the hands of the Russians, politics goes out the window.
Simply a few days in the past 9 youngsters have been killed, extra harmless lives misplaced by the hands of the Russians.
My coronary heart as a person of God begins to pour out, and I've been echoing that message ever since, that I used to be unsuitable. And the ability of the cross teaches me to confess once you're unsuitable, to have a humbled coronary heart, and to say 'I used to be unsuitable.'
No person paid me to go to Ukraine. I paid for my very own tickets to get to Ukraine. No person introduced me there with the hope that I’d talk their message.
"Russia fears President Donald Trump, and they need to, as a result of I do know him very deeply, very personally, and he's a person of true conviction."
That is merely human beings being destroyed by the hands of the Russians, and that's why my coronary heart has change into now a staunch supporter of supporting Ukraine.
I'm now echoing this message on the highest ranges of presidency in the US and around the globe — that we have to get behind Ukraine. Russia is the aggressor.
And I'm very proud that President Trump has made it very clear that he’s pissed off.
That's the phrases he used. Pissed off at (Russian President) Vladimir Putin. He's pissed at Vladimir Putin, and that he wants to return to the negotiating desk instantly, or he’ll concern secondary tariffs on Russian oil, and go after the nations which might be supporting or shopping for Russian oil.
And in order that simply reveals you ways decided the president is in getting this conflict ended.
If Russia doesn't come to the desk for a peace negotiation, President Trump isn’t the person to be messed with.
Russia fears President Donald Trump, and they need to, as a result of I do know him very deeply, very personally, and he's a person of true conviction.
The Kyiv Unbiased: You have been at Kryvyi Rih, the positioning of a missile assault final week, which killed 20 folks, together with 9 youngsters. That assault got here after Trump started peace talks and negotiations. Do you suppose that Trump is doing sufficient if Russia continues to be finishing up assaults like that?
Pastor Mark Burns: I feel that Vladimir Putin is on the finish of his rope. I feel that he has examined the persistence of President Donald Trump, and he's come to the tip of it.
I'm leaving the negotiations to the professionals, those that President Trump has appointed.
The Kyiv Unbiased: In the end, the entire acts of violence in opposition to civilians and church buildings and all the things else in Ukraine for the final greater than three years now have been ordered by one man, Vladimir Putin. How do you describe an individual who’s able to doing that?
Pastor Mark Burns: Evil, pure evil.
As a former United States South Carolina Military Nationwide Guard member and having been a skilled infantryman, I perceive attacking army strategic positions that home army outposts.
However to assault civilians, the aged, girls, youngsters, hospitals, faculties, that is past army development. That’s simply pure evil. And that’s what Vladimir Putin has performed.
And that's what he's persevering with to do.
Ukraine is a sovereign nation, and so they have been ruthlessly, relentlessly attacked by an aggressor known as Russia, led by a person, dictator Vladimir Putin.
It’s evil. And it ought to by no means be allowed.
The Kyiv Unbiased: You additionally spoke earlier about Russia's marketing campaign in opposition to spiritual establishments and teams in Ukraine, together with evangelical Christians. But, there are nonetheless folks within the U.S. who profess to be evangelical Christians, and but they're supporting Putin. How do you clarify that?
Pastor Mark Burns: I posted (on social media) in the course of the evening at a lodge in Kyiv. I used to be laying in my mattress and the Holy Spirit started to obtain to me issues to say in my posts.
There was a video that one among my workers members put up, and it confirmed the third 12 months anniversary of the Day of Liberation in Bucha.
And a really sturdy supporter of President Trump made this remark. They usually mentioned, 'That is very unhappy, Pastor, that that is occurring in Ukraine. However no more cash to Ukraine. I'm sorry. No more cash to Ukraine.'
And I responded to this particular person and I mentioned 'you wouldn’t be saying that should you have been right here on the bottom.'
Once you're on the bottom in Ukraine, and also you're seeing the devastation, and also you're seeing the tears, and also you're seeing the troopers who’re on the bottom, they don't need cash from America — they need ammunition.
They want the instruments to guard their homeland. They have been invaded.
It's no completely different from the British invading America and the Tories and the loyalists — these residents took up arms, they weren’t skilled troopers. They have been simply common farmers and blacksmiths, and so they took up arms to defend their territory.
That's precisely what Ukraine is doing.
Once you see this, you’ll be able to hear the fervour in my coronary heart. This may occasionally politically kill me, and I might care much less. I don't care. It's not about what's common, it's about what is true.
I can inform you the spirit of Ukraine isn’t damaged. It is extremely a lot alive and may be very a lot able to defend its homeland. However extra importantly than ammo, they need peace.
That's why I'm taking time to speak to anyone and all people that can that wish to speak to me in order that this message that what God confirmed me on the bottom of Ukraine has moved my coronary heart, that I’ll transfer any person else's coronary heart and that the world would get behind Ukraine, similar to how the world bought behind South Africa throughout the time of Nelson Mandela.
My tears exit for these which might be misplaced and are dying and are nonetheless being killed. And belief me once I inform you my voice is screaming from the mountaintop to whoever will pay attention.
We have to finish this battle in Ukraine instantly.
The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell