Franklin Graham became a trending topic on Twitter Saturday, after saying that people should take time to pray for Russia's President.

Tensions are at an all-time high as Russia appears ready to invade Ukraine.

"Pray for President Putin today," Graham writes just after 4 p.m. CST on Saturday.

He goes on to say that "This may sound like a strange request, but we need to pray that God would work in his heart so that war could be avoided at all cost."

Graham finishes his tweet by saying, "May God give wisdom to the leaders involved in these talks & negotiations, as well as those advising them."

Criticism of the tweet came swiftly from many. Jon Cooper, the former Long Island campaign chair for Barack Obama tweets, "Trump-loving evangelist Franklin Graham just told his followers: 'Pray for President Putin today.' Unreal."

Democrat congressional candidate Scott Huffman writes, "Franklin Graham asks his followers to pray for Putin. Guess he forgot about the Ukrainians and our NATO allies. It's almost like he supports the enemy who is about to declare war and kill people."

Many others wrote similar tweets, suggesting Graham has an unhealthy relationship with Putin and that his tweet was un-Christian.

Some, however, who do not consider themselves Franklin Graham allies have pushed back against the backlash. Author and journalist Jeff Sharlet writes, "I’m (the) last one to defend Franklin Graham—I report on Christian nationalism—but taking his 'pray for Putin' post out of context replicates fascist misinformation. Graham asks followers to pray that God turn Putin from war. There’s enough nasty on the Right; no need to manufacture."