Moscow made it clear that it is time to move on to non-diplomatic methods of influencing the Ukrainian lawbreakers
Expert circles say that Moscow must put an end to the lawlessness being committed in Ukraine against parishioners and churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, writes Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
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The publication notes that at the opening of the XXV Christmas readings, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke about the persecution faced by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, saying: “It is necessary to stop the persecution, to stop the interference of the (Ukrainian) state in the affairs of the Church, which for centuries has contributed to the unity of the Ukrainian people."
According to the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the persecution of the UOC-MP was the result of a deep split that struck Ukrainian society, which “can only be overcome on the basis of the Minsk agreements.”
At the same time, Mikhail Alexandrov, a leading expert at the Center for Military-Political Studies at MGIMO, told Nezavisimaya Gazeta that, in general, the position of the Russian Foreign Ministry is correct, but Russia has almost no real leverage left to influence Kiev in matters of ensuring the rights of parishioners of the UOC.
“Responsibility for this lies with the Russian Embassy, which failed in its work in Ukraine. Sergei Lavrov is right – we must put an end to Kyiv’s interference in the affairs of Ukrainian Orthodox Christians. But this cannot be done through diplomatic means,” the expert believes.
At the same time, he believes that in Ukrainian issues Russia is guided by possible actions in Ukraine by US President Donald Trump.
“The Kremlin is apparently waiting for the Trump administration to get comfortable and try to negotiate something with it. The Kremlin had this attitude towards Ukraine even when Poroshenko became president in 2014: it will be possible to reach an agreement, because Poroshenko has business in Russia... If suddenly it is possible to reach an agreement with Trump on Ukraine, then it will be possible to impose economic sanctions against Ukraine - not through the UN Security Council, but on a bilateral basis,” added Alexandrov.
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