US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed his joy at the decisions made by both the Church of Greece and the Patriarchate of Alexandria on the issue of autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
After meeting President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, the US Secretary of State congratulated the two churches for their recognition of the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine while sending a strong signal to Russia, saying, “Russia should never stand in the way of the Ukrainian people’s fundamental right to exercise their religious freedom.”
“I would like to thank the United States of America, President Trump’s Administration, you personally and the entire people of the United States for the continuous support of Ukraine – our sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is very important for us,” the Head of State said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the United States for helping Ukraine investigate the crash of the Ukraine International Airlines aircraft in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Head of State underscored Ukraine’s interest in active cooperation with the United States in various spheres.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Mike Pompeo discussed the development of infrastructure in Ukraine and Donbas in particular.
“We have great plans concerning the roads. Our first step is 25,000 kilometers of roads. We invite American businessmen to invest in Ukrainian infrastructure,” the President said.
The parties also discussed the progress of reforms in Ukraine and trade relations between the two countries.
The US Secretary of State expressed support for Ukraine’s cooperation with the International Monetary Fund.
My message to @ZelenskyyUa was clear: The U.S. commitment to #Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty is unwavering. pic.twitter.com/hWQ8MFIJiN
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) January 31, 2020
The relationship between Kyiv and Washington is always strong – underpinned by trust, shared values, mutual understanding and common strategic interests. Support for Ukraine has broad two-party consensus in US Congress, evidenced by 2020 assistance programs of nearly $700 million
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 31, 2020
Great to welcome @SecPompeo to Ukraine. Our countries have many opportunities to deepen our partnership which we are fully committed and looking forward to doing.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 31, 2020
