Dan Darling is the director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He weighs in on the unfolding geopolitical situation surrounding Ukraine, the role of U.S. leadership, and the spiritual dimensions underlying global conflicts.
On the recent Oval Office meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Darling acknowledges its significance but warns against overreaction. "It definitely was a flashpoint," he says, noting that while disagreements between world leaders are common behind closed doors, such a public confrontation was unusual. "Wherever you fall on the spectrum of American policy toward Ukraine, I don’t think it was a great moment."
Darling is a strong supporter of Ukraine’s sovereignty, and remains cautiously optimistic about the country’s future. He praises Zelensky’s leadership but believes the Ukrainian president miscalculated in the Oval Office. "Zelensky had Trump speaking for 30 or 40 minutes about how much he loves Ukraine, how he wants to invest there, maybe even put troops there. If you're Zelensky, your job is to sit there, smile, and get to an agreement."
Instead, he argues, Zelensky took the bait and failed to read the room. Still, Darling believes peace negotiations are moving forward. "Hopefully, we can see what happens in the next few weeks."
A key element of the negotiations is the minerals deal between Ukraine and the United States. Zelensky has hesitated to sign, but Darling sees the deal as vital. "This implies U.S. investment, American contractors, American businesses—it's a de facto security guarantee,” he says. “If our people are there, we're going to protect them–it also means less dependence on China and Russia for rare earth minerals, which weakens them and strengthens Ukraine."
For Darling, Trump's negotiation strategy is clear: first, bring Zelensky to the table, then apply pressure on Putin. "I think Trump is going to say, ‘Listen, I did all this with Ukraine, and now it's your turn to come to the table.’" Darling acknowledges the risks, including the potential for Russia to reject negotiations altogether. "Trump could respond with stronger sanctions on oil and other economic pressure points.” He calls the back and forth “a very fluid process."
Darling sees challenges with the European response to the Ukraine crisis. While Trump’s approach has raised alarms about weakening alliances, Darling argues that the pressure on Europe to contribute more to its own defense is necessary. "One of the things Ukrainians told me when I was there is, they wish Western Europe would contribute more,” he says.
According to Darling, “there’s $300 billion in seized Russian assets in Belgium that could be used to help Ukraine.” He says his concern “is that we don’t fray our European alliances too much, but history shows tensions like these tend to recover."
Darling also focuses on the spiritual dimension of the conflict. "For Putin, this is a holy war; he doesn’t just want to rebuild the Soviet Union, he wants to revive the old Russian Empire,” he says.
In Darline’s view, this means “bringing Ukraine under Russian Orthodox control." He points out that Ukraine is a hub for evangelical Christianity in Eastern Europe. "The church has held the country together. When Russia takes over a territory, they eliminate religious freedom–Baptist and Pentecostal pastors have to conform to the state-controlled Russian Orthodox Church.” He adds, “this is a battle for Ukraine’s spiritual independence as much as its political sovereignty."
Darling emphasizes the resilience of Ukraine’s faith community. "One of our seminary’s alumni is the president of Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary in Lviv, where they have 2,000 students training for ministry, sending pastors all over,” he says. Despite the war, he believes a revival is happening in Ukraine. According to Darling, “the church has never been stronger."
Darling connects these ideas to his work at the Land Center, where he trains future leaders in cultural engagement. "Christians can’t retreat from the world,” he says. “God has placed us here for a reason—we have a responsibility to advocate for good policies that promote human flourishing."
Darling ties the ‘peace through strength’ approach under Trump back to Reagan, and argues that Trump is attempting a similar strategy in his own way. "When dictators see that America is strong and willing to use its might, that’s a great negotiating tool for peace.” For Darling, strength isn’t about seeking war—it’s about preventing it."
Darling has a particular appeal for Christians in America. "Christians should pray for Ukraine,” he says, because “They don’t want to be Russian—they want to be Ukrainian.”
