UCCRO delegation discusses Ukraine’s European integration with EU lawmakers

UCCRO representatives with members of the European Parliament in Belgium. Photo: UCCRO

On June 24, 2026, a delegation of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) held a series of meetings in Brussels with European politicians and religious leaders, focusing on European integration and the protection of religious freedom.

At the European Parliament building, the Ukrainian delegates met with MEPs Michael Gahler, Pekka Toveri, and Tomáš Zdechovský. The participants discussed the work of religious communities in wartime conditions, as well as the challenges that confessions will face during the country’s postwar reconstruction.

Council representatives said the Russian Federation uses religion as a weapon in its hybrid war against Ukraine. According to the participants, Russian religious organizations actively support military aggression and are accomplices to crimes against humanity, promoting the ideology of the “Russian world.”

The delegation discussed Ukraine’s accession to the EU and the role of Churches as civil society institutions in this process with European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and experts from Kaja Kallas’s office. The religious figures noted that European integration remains a priority for Ukrainian society.

During a meeting with COMECE General Secretary Manuel Barrios Prieto, UCCRO representatives paid special attention to cases of religious persecution in territories seized by Russia. At the end of the meeting, the parties prayed for the end of the war and the establishment of a just peace in Ukraine.

The delegation’s visit to Brussels is taking place with the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s office in Ukraine. Earlier, on June 22, representatives of Ukrainian confessions had already held consultations with experts from European non-governmental organizations.

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