As part of his visit to Turkey, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Ecumenical Patriarchate at the Phanar, Constantinople.
There, he had a meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and he took part in a memorial prayer for the victims of the war in Ukraine, led by His All Holiness.
The prayer service was held in St. George’s Cathedral in Phanar.
Father Methodius, the Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne, and Father Epiphanius, the Patriarchal Deacon, served the prayer in Ukrainian and Greek.
The Head of State of Ukraine briefed the Ecumenical Patriarch on the situation at the front and the recent crimes of the aggressor against Ukrainian civilians.
The President thanked His All Holiness for his unwavering support of our country, prayers for peace, condemnation of aggression and crimes, comprehensive assistance to Ukrainians who suffered due to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“I want to thank His All Holiness. Today is an important day – our struggle has been going on for 500 days – since the full-scale invasion. We have the support of His All Holiness, prayers for our soldiers, for the nation, for our people, for life in Ukraine,” the Head of State said.
Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian Peace Formula and the return of children illegally deported from Ukraine were discussed at the meeting.
For his part, His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew noted the importance of achieving peace in Ukraine.
“The Ecumenical Patriarchate as the Mother Church of all Orthodox in Ukraine is always on their side,” the Ecumenical Patriarch said.
“I want to wish for the return of all the POWs and all the children who are now far from their homes,” Patriarch Bartholomew added.
