Pogrebinsky about State Dept-OCU meeting: Course for schism to be continued

Ukrainian political expert and strategist Mikhail Pogrebinsky. Photo: rian.com.ua

According to the director of the Kyiv Centre for Political Studies and Conflictology, political scientist Mikhail Pogrebinsky, in our country the Americans are pursuing a consistent line on the split of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, and support for this course will be carried out regardless of who is now in the White House.

In a commentary for the UOJ, the political expert explained that Washington "perceives Eastern Christianity as an obstacle to its domination in the world". And since Ukraine, which is in the orbit of American influence, belongs to the states of the Orthodox tradition, the goal of the current administration of the White House is still the same - “to split and weaken the UOC”.

“For this purpose, a political structure headed by Epiphany was specially created. And the US Secretary of State met with him as a politician, not as a religious leader,” the Ukrainian expert emphasized.

Therefore, the importance of this meeting should not be overestimated, the political scientist noted. “Of course, it is important for the state of affairs in the Ukrainian Church, but everything depends not only on Blinken. The talks between Presidents Putin and Biden will be decisive. Only after this meeting can we expect signals that will help predict the further development of events in Ukrainian Orthodoxy,” resumed Mikhail Pogrebinsky.

As reported, the head of the Representation of the UOC to European international organizations, Bishop Victor (Kotsaba) of Baryshevka, suggested that the US Secretary of State's open support for the interests of the OCU may be taken by some Ukrainian officials as a call to actions that will provoke new seizures of temples of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

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