Media: Zelensky's circle explains reasons for his visit to Phanar
The official visit of Vladimir Zelensky to Phanar should demonstrate to the West that "he remains true to the previous course".
The Americans were initially actively involved in the project to create the OCU, and now there is a strong tension between the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky and the West. Thus, a source close to the president's circle commented on the reasons for Zelensky's visit to Phanar on October 16, 2020, to Strana.ua.
“Now there is a strong tension between Zelensky and the West over the situation with anti-corruption structures and other wards of Western structures like the deputy chairman of the NBU Rozhkova,” the resource cites the comment. “The US and the EU have suspected that the Ze-team wants to carry out a complete change in the leadership of NABU and SAP, to dismiss Rozhkova for a reason, as part of some large programme of Ukraine's turn towards Russia.”
The source noted that such rumours and suspicions “are actively fueled by numerous enemies of Zelensky within the country,” and first and foremost by Petro Poroshenko.
“Therefore, to dispel them, the President is trying in every possible way to demonstrate that he remains faithful to the previous course. Criticism of the head of NABU Sytnik stopped, Rozhkova's dismissal was postponed. And a visit to Bartholomew is from the same series since the Americans were initially actively involved in the project to create the OCU,” the source explained.
As reported, on October 16, 2020, Vladimir Zelensky paid an official visit to Phanar. As part of the visit, he visited St. George's Church, where a prayer service was held in his honour, and met with Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and invited him to Ukraine.
