On August 21, 2021, during his official visit to Ukraine, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew met the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Dmytro Razumkov as reported by fosfanariou.gr.
The Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament thanked the Ecumenical Patriarch for the fundamental position on the territorial integrity of Ukraine and noted that the support of religious leaders in this matter is invaluable.
“We continue to fight for the return of the temporarily occupied territories of our state. And religion is one of the pillars where people can unite. We have always proclaimed a policy of unification by finding common ground, and we do not accept the policy of division. I hope that your visit will strengthen this process,” said Dmytro Razumkov.
The chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament hoped that the Ecumenical Patriarch would support the safeguarding of human rights in the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas. In addition, Dmitry Razumkov noted that churches and religious organizations play an important role in supporting both the people in the temporarily occupied territories and those serving on the front lines.
During the meeting, they also discussed environmental issues.