Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine Meets President Vladimir Putin of Russia

On 19 March 2005 in Kiev Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine met President V.Putin of Russia, who was in Ukraine on a working visit. They discussed different problems of the Church-state relations.

 

The President of Russia expressed his support to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and noted that Orthodoxy was an important foundation of Russia and Ukraine. V.Putin underlined an important role of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and of Metropolitan Vladimir personally in the strengthening of relations between the two nations and said: “I believe that the Church will continue to fulfill this noble mission”.

 

Metropolitan Vladimir thanked the President of Russia for his high appreciation of the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, noted that the difficult situation of the Church in Ukraine and expressed his hope that “more peaceful and serene relations will be established under the new leadership of Ukraine than those, which existed earlier”.