Expert: Phanar may demand from Ukraine to continue Poroshenko's policy

The head of Phanar at a meeting with Ukrainian MPs. Photo: Facebook page of Yevheniya Kravchuk

In exchange for the visit of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to Ukraine, which is being actively prepared by Vladimir Zelensky, Phanar may demand to continue the policy of ex-President Petro Poroshenko. The head of the Ukrainian Politics Foundation / UP Foundation, historian, political expert Konstantin Bondarenko said this in a comment to the UOJ regarding the recent meeting of Ukrainian parliamentarians with the head of Phanar in Istanbul.

According to the expert, now Patriarch Bartholomew is expected to visit Zelensky to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Independence and, in order to prepare the ground for this event, a number of Ukrainian politicians are sent to Phanar.

This, he added, explains the recent visit to Phanar of a 12-MP delegation from the Servant of the People Party and Deputy Head of the President's Office Kirill Tymoshenko.

As regards Bogdan Yaremenko, infamous for his correspondence with prostitutes, who was entrusted to appeal to the Patriarch of Constantinople on behalf of the Ukrainian delegation and hand him written invitations from Zelensky and the head of the OCU Epiphany, Yaremenko “used to work for a long time as the consul general of Ukraine in Turkey and obviously knows all the ins and outs regarding Phanar. And it was no coincidence that he went there, since he is probably the main specialist on Turkey and all related issues in Zelensky's entourage," the expert noted

“Another question is what Phanar will demand in return and what requirements it will put forward so that the arrival of Patriarch Bartholomew could take place. Obviously, this may be a demand to continue the policy started under Poroshenko,” stressed Konstantin Bondarenko.

We will remind, at a meeting with a delegation of "Servants of the People" in Istanbul, the head of Phanar confirmed that he would come to Ukraine to celebrate the Independence Day in August this year.

It became known earlier that Zelensky and Poroshenko congratulated the head of Phanar on his birthday.

Read also

Conservative Anglicans to elect new leader instead of female archbishop

The conservative Anglican movement intends to elect its own leader, not recognizing the new Archbishop of Canterbury.

Believers raise over ₴250,000 for the bail of deserter priest in one day

Funds for the release of Archpriest Vitaly Agafonov, detained after leaving the military unit, were raised in less than a day.

In USA, vandal gets 10 months in prison for satanic inscriptions in church

A resident of Indiana was convicted for desecrating a church with satanic symbols.

Yelensky complains that UOC brings in foreign lawyers for defense

The head of DESS is dissatisfied that the Kyiv Metropolis uses professional legal assistance in court.

Metropolitan Pavel performs tonsure of new monk for Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

A monk of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra took monastic vows with the name Tykhon.

Hearing in Lower Lavra case postponed again due to judge’s illness

The session of the Northern Commercial Court of Appeal was scheduled for March 5, 2026.