EASLEY — The sun was streaming upon Kyiv’s Independence Square as Mark Burns, the South Carolina pastor and several-time Republican candidate for Congress, stood beneath a clear blue sky and waited his turn to be recognized.

Burns had been a busy man since his close friend and confidante, President Donald Trump, retook the White House. Burns has crisscrossed the globe at the request of the U.S. Department of State as a self-billed “spiritual diplomat,” holding court with everyone from regional leaders in West Africa to top officials for the South Korean government, according to court documents.

Some of that work has been in Ukraine, where Burns has made several trips. And on Aug. 24, it was his day.

In a video posted to social media, Burns crossed the square and met President Volodymyr

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