MP Kostenko: Russia demands protection of UOC in negotiations

MP Roman Kostenko has confirmed that during the negotiation process with Ukraine, the Russian side is putting forward demands regarding the protection of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). These statements were made against the background of the absence of official confirmation of these demands from the Ukrainian delegation, however, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had earlier said that such issues were raised during the negotiations.

According to the Strana daily, Roman Kostenko, an MP from the Golos party and secretary of the defense committee, known for his stance against the negotiation process and in favor of continuing the war, said that Ukraine’s lack of strong counterarguments makes the negotiations fruitless. «When Russia brings its arguments and we do not have strong counterarguments, the negotiations become fruitless. Russia demands that we surrender territories — we do not surrender them. Russia demands that we surrender territories — we don’t. They impose their language, church— for them it is fundamental,» Kostenko said, emphasizing the principle of these issues for the Russian side.

We shall remind you that earlier Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that compromises regarding Ukraine cannot concern the key, basic principles on which the lives of the state and millions of people depend. The foreign minister emphasized that this concerns, among other things, issues related to the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.