State Dept head receives a letter with names of MPs initiating ban on UOC

The US Vice President is advised to impose personal sanctions against six Ukrainian officials who are the initiators of bill No. 8371, which effectively bans the UOC. Political analyst Andrey Zolotarev wrote about this in his blog on the Glavcom website, citing his own sources.

He published a letter to US Secretary of State Blinken with the names and analysis of the situation in Ukraine regarding the UOC and the law banning it.

The letter notes that personal sanctions, similar to the Magnitsky list, may be imposed on the lobbyists of bill No. 8371. The list of officials subject to sanctions, according to the International Religious Freedom Act and the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act, includes:

• Mykola Kniazhytsky, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Culture and Spirituality;
• Yevheniya Kravchuk, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy;
• Mykyta Poturaev, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy;
• Volodymyr Viatrovych, Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy;
• Viktor Yelensky, Chairman of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS);
• Oleksandr Aliksiychuk, Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on State Building, Local Governance, Regional Development, and Urban Planning.
  The document states that since the United States continues to support Ukraine's independence and self-defense, the US leadership is expected to take urgent action to protect and uphold freedom of religion in Ukraine.

The political analyst points out that on July 15, Donald Trump announced the name of his vice-presidential candidate – JD Vance, who has spoken about the issue of religious freedom in Ukraine.

According to Zolotarev, politicians need to understand that after the November elections, these will not just be words, but the position of US President Trump.

"And sanctions are a reality for those who vote for this bill. Especially if Trump wins the election. And after the attempt on him, this is likely an almost decided issue. Trump is not Biden; he will impose sanctions without hesitation," he notes.

As the UOJ reported, Robert Amsterdam stated that the MPs of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine plan to introduce bill No. 8371, which effectively bans the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, into the agenda for next week.