The cooperation agreement between the American politician and the new church structure of Ukraine will worsen the situation of other Churches, Bortnik noted.

The approval by the U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo of the recognition of the OCU by the Greek and Alexandrian Churches is a signal for action for the Ukrainian authorities, says the Director of the Ukrainian Institute for Analysis and Management of Policy, political analyst Ruslan Bortnik. At the request of a UOJ correspondent, he commented on the outcome of the meeting of Pompeo with the head of the OCU Epiphany Dumenko, which took place on January 31, 2020.

“Pompeo’s words are a formal symbol of the fact that the US supports the OCU. For the Ukrainian political elite, this is also a definite signal for action: if you want to have support from America, you must support the new church structure in Ukraine,” the expert explained.

He also noted that the agreement on bilateral cooperation with the OCU signed by the US Secretary of State will affect the situation of other Churches and religious organizations in Ukraine.

“This will worsen the situation of other Churches in Ukraine because we are now in the framework of the American political course. Pompeo’s statement will strengthen elite support for the OCU and weaken the support for other Churches, and especially the UOC,” Bortnik emphasized.

According to him, the results of the meeting between Pompeo and Epiphany signal that in the future the US will continue to conduct dialogue in the international arena in favour of the newly created religious organization and help it expand its sphere of influence.

As reported, on January 31, 2020, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo concluded an agreement on bilateral cooperation with the head of the OCU Epiphany Dumenko, “especially in the field of protecting freedom of conscience and religion”.

Pompeo stated that he was very pleased with the fact that the new church structure was recognized by the Alexandria and Greek Churches. When meeting with President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky, the American politician also focused on the special importance of developing this church structure.