"They think that ties with the UOC will help them in negotiations with Russia" - MP Pavlenko

MP from the European Solidarity party Rostyslav Pavlenko believes that some MPs do not want to ban the UOC because ties with the Church will help them in future negotiations with Russia. He said this in a commentary to the Espresso channel.

“A small group of people who serve Putin and Kirill are stronger than the entire Ukrainian state. This was not always the case. The Ukrainian Church won the Tomos with the help of the Ukrainian state. But in order to finally oust Moscow’s influence, and to ensure that the Moscow Patriarchate does not have influence on the minds and hearts of Ukrainians, we need to do one simple thing: put to a vote and support a law that gives specific mechanisms for the Ukrainian state to be stronger than the influence of the aggressor state in this particular issue. The minority that supports the Moscow Patriarchate believes that ties with it will be useful for something, either in negotiations with Russia or in the elections later. Unfortunately, they are now at odds with the position of the majority, and even with the position of the majority of the Servant of the People faction. They even went for all-Ukrainian hatred and contempt, pausing the Verkhovna Rada until the end of August to do nothing about Moscow priests,” – Pavlenko said.

Earlier we reported that MP Rostyslav Pavlenko from Petro Poroshenko’s European Solidarity party criticized his colleagues in the parliament who refuse to support Bill 8371, which aims to ban the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Pavlenko believes that the MPs who refuse to vote for the ban are playing on Zelensky’s fears.