The Ecumenical Patriarchate's decision to grant Ukraine the autocephaly is definitely a setback for the Kremlin, and the historical win for Ukraine. Kurt Volker, the U.S. special envoy in Ukraine, said this in his interview with UNIAN news agency, as he shared his vision on granting Tomos for Ukraine's Orthodox Church.
'They [Russian leaders] are driving the Ukrainian people away from their historic relationship with Russia. Ukraine today is more unified, more nationalist, more oriented toward Europe and Nato and the West than it has even been true before, and that's a direct result of Russia's intervention in Ukraine and killing of Ukrainians,' he said as quoted by EUObserver.
The official insisted that the ongoing hostilities in Donbas are nothing but Russia-designed and Russia-led operation, and the EU and the U.S. are aware of that. "This is purely a Russia-controlled operation, as opposed to any kind of indigenous conflict," he said as UNIAN quoted him.
As is known, the Ecumenical Patriarchate decided to grant the autocephaly for Ukraine's Orthodox Church. The respective document appeared on the official website of the Patriarchate. This outraged the Russian Orthodox Church, which already promised 'a tough and decisive response.'
