Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, a bishop of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, said in an encyclical letter that “this attack must be squarely set upon the shoulders of Vladimir Putin, who is risking global peace for his own selfish political agenda.”

Archbishop Elpidophoros called for “prayers and tangible support for all the Ukrainian people,” whether Orthodox, Catholic, or Jewish, “and all who find themselves in the dire circumstances of war.”