Expert: Phanar has to go into isolation after meeting with Zelensky

Political expert Sergei Tolstov. Photo: First Cossack

Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople could not fail to mention in the text of the agreement with President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky the benefits promised to him, but Zelensky’s refusal to sign this document compelled Phanar to go into isolation, political analyst Sergei Tolstov explained.

“The counterparty was Bartholomew. For him, this whole story with the Tomos and with the penetration into Ukraine had a very impressive size of possible benefits, including payment for the Holy Gifts, the provision of control over large operating facilities and parishes of the Kiev Patriarchate outside Ukraine,” First Cossack conveyed Tolstov’s words. “From this entire list, only a promise to return the St. Andrew's church has been fulfilled to date. <...> so Bartholomew could not fail to mention the benefits having been promised to him."

The declared environmental issues are only a way to divert attention from the true motives of Phanar, assures the expert.

According to him, it is also indicative that the text of the initial agreement was prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is not controlled by the Presidential Administration.

“For Zelensky to sign any agreement in such conditions meant that he, in fact, signs for Poroshenko’s actions and takes all the burden of these obligations and abuses,” the political analyst said.

Zelensky did not follow this path and Patriarch Bartholomew had to pretend he was not claiming anything, Tolstov said.

“The only thing he said publicly after this meeting is that he would protect the independent Churches, i.e. he does not intend to intervene in these squabbles. In the situation at hand, there was nothing else for Bartholomew as to pretend that he takes a neutral restrained position or, in other words, chooses isolation,” Tolstov stressed.

At the same time, the political expert believes that no one will revoke the Tomos, since only Patriarch Bartholomew can do this, but in this case he will no longer be able to claim the foreign parishes of the Kiev Patriarchate.

Earlier, Tolstov drew public attention to the fact that Poroshenko wanted to take away the churches of the UOC during martial law. “Some of these property items, including the Florovsky Monastery, are in the ownership of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and formally have nothing to do with Poroshenko’s project. It means it was a matter of preparing a physical, violent confiscation of these objects,” he added.

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