Leading prelate: Ukraine needs equipment, not foreign troops, to defend itself against Russia
September 23, 2014
In an interview with a Polish news agency, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church called upon the West to provide military equipment to Ukraine so that it can defend itself against Russian aggression.
“This is not an internal conflict,” said Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk. “20,000 Russian soldiers are in the territory of the Ukrainian state, mostly in Donetsk and Lugansk regions. There are Russian tanks and other specialized weapons.”
“It is partly the fault of the European Union, which has shown that it is weak, and did not want to admit that we are dealing with the war against one of the European countries,” he continued. “If Russia sees the EU and the United States do not want to react, they believe that they have permission to aggression. The sanctions against Russia are a good step, but it is too late.”
The prelate, however, made clear that he does not want US or NATO troops on Ukrainian soil.
“Ukraine wants to defend itself,” he said. “Here we do not need troops of the United States and other NATO countries. We ourselves can cope provided, however, that we have the appropriate weapons.”
“The hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church,” he added, “is under the influence of state propaganda and transfers it to the religious level. This is very dangerous.”
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Posted by: Defender -
Sep. 23, 2014 10:43 AM ET USA
The "Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church called upon the West to provide military equipment to Ukraine so that it can defend itself against Russian aggression." This sure isn't coming from the Vatican, is it! The Ukraine's military industry sells military equipment around the world, including China, India and Russia. China and Russia have signed a lot of agreements lately and some private defense companies in the Ukraine are still dealing with Russia, but to have a prelate chide the West, really?
