UOC-KP Primate will ask US authorities to arm Ukraine
At the meetings with US authorities Patriarch Filaret is going to speak about the US role as a guarantor of peace under Budapest Memorandum on Ukraine, as well as about America’s aid, including provision of weapons. He said this at a press conference at the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington, UNN reports.
“I arrived together with His Eminence Epifaniy to attend the Prayer Breakfast, held annually by the US President, in order to pray for peace and tranquility in the world,to have talks and remind that we ask the United States to fulfill their obligation of a guarantor, to help protect the territory of Ukraine,” the Patriarch said.
He noted that Ukraine proved its love of peace when in 1994 it gave up its full nuclear capacity, which was the third in terms of volume in the world. Then the Budapest Memorandum was signed, the guarantors to which were the US, Great Britain and Russia.
“If the Budapest Memorandum is not observed, the credibility of international treaties in the world will be disturbed,”said the Patriarch.
He also confirmed that he would speak of the need to supply modern defense weapons to Ukrainian army.
“We can produce weapons ourselves, but now we are asking to help us protect our territorial integrity,” he noted.
Patriarch Filaret urged the Diaspora to support Ukraine with funds and humanitarian aid to the Donbas population that suffers from aggression and asked for prayers for peace and tranquility in the Ukrainian state.
The Patriarch’s visit to the US will continue until February 6.
On February 5 in the morning, Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Patriarch Filaret is going take part in the annual national Prayer Breakfast with President Barack Obama in Washington.
The Patriarch is accompanied by Metropolitan Epifaniy of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitskyi and Bila Tserkva and Vicariate representative of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA and Canada John Jaresko.
