Is President Zelensky really a dictator?

Our Friday articles will normally engage with the big political story of the week. If it is your turn to write the article, you wait until Thursday or Friday, such is the pace with which news changes. Some weeks, the story is obvious and you also feel ready and prepared to write on it. Many weeks you need to do some serious research and thinking first. And some weeks, like this one, you feel hopelessly out of your depth.

The big story this week is undoubtedly President Trump’s comment that President Zelensky of Ukraine is a ‘dictator’. The start of peace talks between the US and Russia, while Kyiv is excluded, is also part of this evolving narrative.

So what do I say about all this? This is my problem. I am not a diplomat. I am not an expert in foreign diplomacy. I am not across all the history and details of the Russian and Ukrainian conflict.

The reason I say all of this is because I do not want to write as if I know more than I do. I want to be honest about my own limitations. But I also want to try and be helpful. As followers of Jesus, we are called to take every thought captive for Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). And while I do not believe the Bible says everything about everything, I do believe it says something about everything! So there is wisdom in scripture to help shape our response.

So, here goes.

Let’s start with Trump’s comment that Zelensky is a ‘dictator’. The Bible says in Exodus 20:16: “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.” This is one of the Ten Commandments, uniquely given to Israel as part of the Mosaic, old covenant which is no longer in force. But they also reflect eternal, moral laws that have always been true. They flow from God’s own character and He is true in His very essence. In fact, Hebrews 6:18 says it is impossible for God to lie. The Bible further teaches that even non-believers have an instinctive sense of right and wrong on their hearts because there is some awareness of God’s law (Romans 2:14-15). Therefore, all of us, whether we follow Jesus or not, should be committed to the truth.

Therefore, I must ask: what evidence has Trump provided to back up the claim that Zelensky is a dictator? Trump pointed to the fact that Zelensky has not called an election for the last three years. But what Trump did not say is that martial law is in place across Ukraine because of the war and this means it is logistically impossible for elections to be held. Actually, I do agree with Trump that elections should be held, but at the proper time! Zelensky is not acting like a dictator by staying in post while the conflict rages on. And it is a bit rich of Trump to call for an election when he so hotly disputes the outcome of the 2020 American Election, despite the fact he lost.

As far as I can tell, Trump was speaking in anger, provoked by Zelensky saying he lived in a ‘disinformation space’ created by Russia. Speaking in anger is something the Bible also warns about. Proverbs 15:1 says: “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” I would say this Proverb has been fulfilled in a spectacular way!

Trump also claimed Zelensky has approvals of 4%. Again, what is this based on? To say, as Trump often does, that he has his own polling that no-one else has access to is simply not good enough.

So I want to call out these falsehoods from Trump. It is completely wrong for him to label Zelensky a dictator and to make up polling statistics. Even as an unregenerate man, Trump should know better but he has obviously dulled his conscience to its accusations over his lies. That can only happen if you persistently speak falsely.

As a follower of Jesus, I am called to live in the truth, remembering that God delights in truth in his innermost being (Psalm 51:6).

The irony of course in all this is while Trump labels Zelensky a dictator, surely it is more accurate to says Putin is a dictator and he is the one, not Zelensky, who carries ultimate responsibility for this war.

The reason Putin must take responsibility is because he is the aggressor. He is the guilty party. Zelensky and the Ukrainian people are the innocents in this war. Let me explain exactly what I mean because this comment could be completely misinterpreted.

There is a biblical category of ‘the innocent’. This was brought home to me by Pastor Yannick of Stockwell Baptist Church. He spoke at a seminar on biblical justice at the FIEC National Conference in 2023. He was making this point in connection with questions around systemic racism.

A very real danger for us as Bible believing Christians is we take sin so seriously that we forget this category exists. Our determination to rightly teach and proclaim the universal sinfulness of human beings who not only are held captive by sin’s power, not only are guilty of breaking God’s law and loving idols, but who also are corrupted by original sin (Romans 5:12-21), means we downplay innocence.

When I say there is this biblical category, I am not denying sin or original sin or sin’s very real guilt. I am simply saying that when one human being wrongs another human being, we can say one is guilty and the other is innocent. This comes across in the Law of Moses. Consider the following texts:

Exodus 23:7: "Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty."

Deuteronomy 27:25: “Cursed is anyone who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person. Then all the people shall say Amen!”

It also comes over in 2 Kings 21:16: "Moreover, Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end—besides the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, so that they did evil in the eyes of the Lord."

And finally, Proverbs 18:5: “It is not good to be partial to the wicked and so deprive the innocent of justice.”

Clearly these verses are not denying the biblical story of the Fall into sin and the ensuing corruption of human nature. Rather it is saying that when crimes are committed, the categories of the aggressor, instigator, the criminal exist and so too do the categories of the victim and the innocent.

Now apply this principle to the Russia – Ukraine conflict. Who is innocent and who is guilty? I think you can say that with a good degree of certainty that when it comes to starting this war, Putin is guilty and in the sense outlined above, Zelensky is innocent.

If I am right, then this raises an important point about justice. If biblical justice means giving people what they are owed (respect and dignity as image-bearers of God, but also commendation for doing what is right and punishment for doing what is wrong), then Putin is owed punishment for his guilt. While the International community has taken steps in this direction via economic sanctions, there should be a personal accountability and reckoning for Putin himself.

So far I have argued that Trump is wrong to call Zelensky a dictator. I have also argued that there is a biblical category of the ‘innocent’ that helps us understand why Trump is so wrong.

But now I want to suggest that when this war ends, I think it is highly likely that it will not be a very just peace. If you think about it, how do we ensure a ceasefire solution that satisfies everyone? Actually, the end result is likely to leave both sides in this conflict unhappy. It is highly unlikely that Putin will withdraw all his troops and give Ukraine all its territory back but it is equally hard imagining that Zelensky will be satisfied with this. The US Defence Secretary has also told the media that Ukrainian membership of NATO – something Zelensky badly wants – would not realistically be part of any settlement between Russia and Ukraine.

So the question is this: what is the price of peace? Should the goal be a just peace that respects the wishes of all sides? Or do we need a dose of realism and pragmatism?

My honest answer is I do not know. The history of conflicts and their resolutions around the world often involves imperfect peace arrangements. Even the end of World War Two saw the Soviet Union allowed to build its empire across Eastern Europe.

Perhaps we need to start accepting political and economic realities. Much of the rhetoric from Trump about Ukraine has been ill conceived and wrong. But his insistence that compromise is needed to end this war could well be right. You will see a lot of language about ‘appeasement’ and ‘betrayal’ in the media over the coming weeks. But what if the only way this war ends is via an unfair compromise? Is it a price worth paying to save the lives of soldiers and civilians on both sides?

What we do know is the human cost of this war is only rising. Ukraine does not have enough soldiers to force the Russians out of the East of their country. How sustainable is it for the West to continue pumping vast sums of money and weapons into the country? What exists at the moment is a bloody, violent stalemate. Both sides are capable of hurting the other. Neither side can force a decisive outcome. In this context, perhaps an unjust peace is the best we can hope for?

Isaiah 26:3 says this: "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” This perfect peace is a gift from God, granted fully in the world to come. Peace as a resolution of war and conflicts this side of Jesus’ return is often messy, flawed and unfair. But that does not mean it should not be pursued.

The fact that justice will ultimately be done and those responsible for this dreadful war held to account should not blind us to our Christian duty to lament the bloodshed. Even when war is just, as followers of Jesus we should care deeply about all suffering and especially, to quote John Piper, eternal suffering.

In the Bible, when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in the greatest tragedy to befall God’s people after the slavery in Egypt, Jeremiah the prophet pens a lament. Here is a sample of the prophet’s misery:

"My eyes fail from weeping,
I am in torment within;
my heart is poured out on the ground
because my people are destroyed,
because children and infants faint
in the streets of the city.” (Lamentations 2:11)

How many parents are mourning the loss of loved one’s due to this war? Started by one man’s egomania and unchecked power, there are now tens of thousands who have died. Each one an image-bearer of God himself. Each one crowned with glory and honour (Psalm 8:4-5).

Imagine the tears shed by families across both Russia and Ukraine over this war and the loss of life it has led to. May God forgive me for how unmoved I often am by the scale of human loss.

We should lament the tragedy of war. We can lament the awful loss of life. We might also lament the arrogance of wicked men that leads to such conflicts. And let's lament the fact that even the peace that may emerge will likely be far from perfect and far from just.

Jesus taught that 'blessed are the peacemakers'. As followers of Jesus this is part of a description of who we are. As followers of the Prince of Peace, we must lament the tragedy of this conflict, the injustice of it all and all the while we must pray for the gospel to go on spreading, as it has been doing across both Ukraine and Russia.

When you stop and think about, the war in Ukraine and the Trump push for peace is reminding us all of the limits of human ability. For no one has achieved or is likely to get everything they want.

Putin has failed. Ukraine’s resistance has led to his armies being caught up in a costly attritional war in the East.

Zelensky has not managed to effectively counter-attack despite a much anticipated build up in 2023. While the Kursk incursion has achieved modest success, his position at the negotiating table is not strong.

Trump claimed he could sort peace out on day one of his presidency and possible even before he took up office. But he has failed to do so. There is also no guarantee he will succeed this time.

Psalm 118:8-9 says this: “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.”

Ultimately, as followers of Jesus we look to the Prince of Peace to bring this conflict to an end and to administer true justice. Isaiah 11 describes what Jesus will do as King:

"The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
³ and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
⁴ but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
⁵ Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

And the results of this perfect King, exercising perfect discernment and justice?

The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling^[a] together;
and a little child will lead them.
⁷ The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
⁸ The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.”

As we call out Trump’s falsehood, remember the biblical category of the innocent, accept that a just peace might not happen in this world, lament the loss of life and accept human limitations, we can look to Jesus. Unlike human rulers, he sees things as they really are. He is bringing justice and righteousness to the world as he extends his kingdom and builds his church and one day, the whole creation and us with it will be truly renewed, injustice will be banished and wars and rumours of wars will be ended forever.

For followers of Jesus here in peace and stability in the UK, to our brothers and sisters across war-torn Ukraine, that is a hope that can sustain even the weakest faith.