Expert: Via Bartholomew and OCU authorities hope to build relations with US
The trip of OCU adherents and representatives of the President's Office to Phanar demonstrated the political position of the government, Ruslan Bortnik noted.
Through Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and the OCU, Zelensky hopes to build relations with the new US administration. Political expert, Director of the Ukrainian Institute of Politics Ruslan Bortnik said this in a comment to the UOJ regarding the recent meeting of the “Servants of the People” and Deputy Head of the President's Office Kirill Timoshenko with the head of the Phanar in Istanbul.
"A group of supporters of the OCU and heads of the President's Office, Kirill Timoshenko in particular, who hopes to build relations with the United States through the OCU, visited Bartholomew, thus demonstrating their political position, trying to show loyalty and probing the opportunity to build relations with the new US administration through Bartholomew," stated the expert.
He added that we should expect the arrival of Patriarch Bartholomew to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence, and in this regard, "issues related to the property of the Phanar in Ukraine and joint steps aimed at strengthening the OCU and reducing the influence of the UOC can be discussed".
As for the position of President Vladimir Zelensky, who previously said that there is no need to interfere in religious affairs, “today he is interested in establishing multi-level, multifaceted contacts with the American administration, including on the topic of religious issues. Moreover, we remember that the United States and Biden actively support the development of a worldwide religious initiative, such a religious subject."
As reported earlier, Ruslan Bortnik believes that the Joe Biden administration can support the attack on the UOC in Ukraine.
