Ukrainian MP: Hopes That the U.S. Will Apply Pressure and We'll Leave the UOC Alone Are in Vain

Nikita Poturaev. Photo: Sokolova's YouTube channel

KYIV—Speaking to the media in western Ukraine, Mykyta Poturaiev, Member of Parliament and head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, stated that the Ukrainian authorities are not afraid of U.S. sanctions and are determined to pursue their course toward the elimination of the UOC to the very end.

Commenting on a statement by the Russian Foreign Minister that “Russia will not abandon the Orthodox people of Ukraine in their time of trouble and will ensure that their legal rights are respected and that canonical Orthodoxy regains its central place in the spiritual life of the people on Ukrainian soil,” Poturaiev claimed this was “an attempt to pass the ball to Washington.”

“They still hope there are people there [in the U.S.] who live under the illusion that this so-called ROC church and all its branches are actually the Church, and that Russia is a country standing up for Christian values. This is an attempt to pass the ball there, so that they pressure us from abroad: ‘Take your hands off the Christian Church.’ But in reality, I’m convinced these hopes are completely in vain,” the MP said.

He recalled the visit to Ukraine of “a spiritual leader very close to President Trump” (presumably referring to Pastor Mark Burns), who, according to Poturaiev, “saw everything with his own eyes.”

It should be noted that Moshe Azman, a rabbi close to the Office of the President, organized the visit of Pastor Mark Burns to Ukraine. During the trip, Burns was hosted by Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, met with members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO), and was given tours of Bucha, Irpin, and Vyshhorod. After his visit, Burns stated that claims of Christian persecution by the Ukrainian authorities were fake, since religious leaders from the OCU (Orthodox Church of Ukraine), UGCC (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church), Protestant, and Jewish communities had assured him otherwise.

“Fake news claimed that Ukraine is hostile to religious organizations, that it persecutes clergy. But this is an outright lie, because I was among the greatest spiritual leaders of Ukraine, from various confessions and religious groups, all gathered in one hall in Kyiv—and they all share a common stance: they have the right to practice their faith freely in Ukraine,” said Burns.

Representatives of the UOC were not invited to meet with him by the Office of the President.

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