Zelensky publishes a "message of peace" for residents of Donbass and Crimea

New President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky

On May 13, 2019, the new President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky published a “message of peace” for residents of the Donbass and Crimea. The video message, which was the result of the meetings of the President with the Primate of the UOC, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine and leaders of the religious organizations of Ukraine, was posted on his Facebook page.

“I appeal with the word of love and for God's sake ask those people in a position to do so to stop talking to each other in the language of guns and cannons,” the Primate of the UOC called on participants in the military conflict in the Donbass. “We pray for you, and we believe that God will triumph over any evil. And we believe that at last we will sit down at the negotiating table like civilized people. And we can resolve all conflicts, all the questions that we have for each other with the help of human wisdom."

It is noteworthy that on the video published by Zelensky among the leaders of religious organizations who appealed to the people of Ukraine, there is the “Honorary Patriarch” of the OCU Filaret, but there is no head of this structure Epiphany Dumenko.

In 2014, Filaret himself said that “the population of the Donbass itself is to blame for their sufferings and must atone for their guilt with suffering and blood.” Since then, the “Honorary Patriarch” has not publicly changed his position on this matter.

We recall that on April 30, 2019, in the territory of the Metropolitan's residence in Feofania, the new President met with His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry and discussed with him the church situation that has developed in our country. Zelensky has also held a number of meetings with heads of other religious organizations in Ukraine.

Read also