US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with President Zelensky and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine’s Head

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at a joint briefing with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky that they had discussed relations between Ukraine and Russia, reforms, and Ukraine’s aspirations for EU and NATO.

“The President and I have been able to discuss relations between Ukraine and Russia. The US protects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We continue to support Ukraine in joining NATO and moving closer to the European Union,” Pompeo said.

He said he was in Kyiv with a clear message – the US “sees that Ukrainian struggle for freedom, democracy and prosperity is a valiant one” and continues to support Ukraine and its anti-corruption efforts.

In addition, Secretary of State Pompeo had a meeting with the Head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine Epiphany. They discussed the persecution and systematic restriction of the rights of the clergy and the OCU communities in Russia-occupied Crimea and Donbas.

“While communicating with the Secretary of State, I focused on the establishment and development of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, its interaction with society, the state and the expansion of our international relations. I put special emphasis on the issue of persecution and systematic restriction of the rights of the clergy and the OCU communities in Russia-occupied Crimea and Donbas,” Epiphany wrote.

Epiphany expressed his gratitude to the US party for its strong and reliable support to Ukraine both in counteracting external challenges and on the path of state formation and democratic reforms.

EMPR

Source: unn

Tags: EU NATO Politics Ukraine ukraine ortodox church USA Volodymyr Zelenskyy