Zelensky invites Archbishop of Cyprus to visit Ukraine

Archbishop Georgios of Cyprus and Volodymyr Zelensky. Photo: screenshot from a YouTube video

On January 7, 2026, a meeting took place in Nicosia between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Archbishop Georgios of Cyprus, during which the Ukrainian leader invited the Primate of the Church of Cyprus to visit Ukraine. Reuters reported this.

The meeting was held at the archbishopric after Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Cyprus’s Presidential Palace and talks with the country’s president, Nikos Christodoulides. The parties discussed the situation in Ukraine, as well as issues affecting the position of Orthodox peoples amid ongoing conflicts.

Greeting the Ukrainian president, Archbishop Georgios noted that Orthodox Christians believe in the triumph of justice and in God’s help, emphasizing that the trials nations are going through require patience and trust in God.

Volodymyr Zelensky, in turn, thanked the Archbishop for his reception and support, calling it important in the conditions of war. He said he hopes to see Archbishop Georgios visit Kyiv. Answering journalists’ questions after the meeting, the Primate of the Church of Cyprus stated that he is prepared to consider the possibility of traveling to Ukraine in the future.

Archbishop Georgios also pointed to similarities between the situation in Ukraine and Cyprus, referring to the problem of occupied territories. He added that the issue of Turkey’s occupation of Cyprus had been raised with the Ukrainian president and, according to him, was not ignored.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Zelensky told Patriarch Bartholomew about problems with power outages.

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