The UOC-MP hired a famous American lawyer and lobbyist to prevent Kyiv from banning the Moscow patriarchate in Ukraine.
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We are talking about William Burke-White, who, according to the plans of supporters of the UOC-MP, should ensure that Washington puts pressure on Kyiv in order to cancel the decision to ban the Moscow patriarchate in Ukraine. According to unofficial information, the lobbyist was hired by former people’s deputy and protodeacon of the UOC MP Vadim Novinsky.
Burke-White works with the influential law firm Amsterdam & Partners. He is 49 years old. He has extensive experience in the field of international law and is fluent in Russian, Orthodox Ukraine reports.
Journalists of the publication note that previously the lawyer had a predominantly positive attitude towards Ukraine: he supported the protesters on the Maidan in the fall of 2013, condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, and even gave a lecture at Kharkov University. Karazin about possible legal mechanisms of Putin’s responsibility after the war.
But on October 16, 2023, Burke-White signed an agreement with the UOC-MP. The lawyer explains his motivation as follows: if the Verkhovna Rada bans the UOC-MP, this will be “a violation of freedom of religion in international law and human rights.”
Burke-White wants to convince the American government to force Ukraine to abandon the ban on the UOC. According to the contract, the lobbyist agreed to promote the interests of the church in the media, during public appearances, as well as among American officials and congressmen.
On October 19, he published a lengthy article entitled “If Ukraine is truly committed to human rights, it must support religious freedom.” In it, the lobbyist calls the ban “a restriction of the rights of believers” and assures that the UOC-MP is “completely separated from the Russian Orthodox Church.”
In the same text, he criticizes the SBU’s suspicions against priests, measures against the Metropolitan of the UOC-MP Pavel Lebed, and the expulsion of the UOC from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.
It is reported that after an hour of doing this, Burke-White receives $1.4 thousand from his “employers.”
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.