On October 9, 2025, representatives of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO), led by the Council’s Chair, the Supreme Mufti of Ukraine Ahmed Tamim, met with Dr. Mohamed Elsanousi, Executive Director of the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers and Commissioner of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). The meeting took place at the “Ar-Rahma” mosque of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Ukraine.

Ukrainian religious leaders introduced Dr. Elsanousi to the UCCRO as a model of interfaith cooperation, highlighting the spiritual and humanitarian activities of churches and religious organizations in Ukraine during the war. They also reported on religious persecution carried out by the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

Dr. Elsanousi recalled the UCCRO’s advocacy visit to Washington, D.C. (USA) in 2023 and emphasized the crucial role of religious leaders in the life of society, especially in times of such trials as war. He underscored the importance of religious freedom in Ukraine as one of the foundations of democracy, human rights, and economic development. Dr. Elsanousi presented the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers and emphasized the importance of the presence of Ukrainian religious leaders at various international platforms.

Both sides agreed that true peacemaking is impossible when the dignity and rights of victims of aggression are neglected, and they expressed readiness to maintain contact and cooperate in advocating for Ukraine on the international stage.

The meeting was also attended by Milla Perukangas, Senior Advisor at Finn Church Aid, as well as representatives of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the All-Ukrainian Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, the Ukrainian Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Ukrainian Christian Evangelical Church, the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Ukraine, the Religious Administration of Muslims of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and the Institute for Religious Freedom.