Newsroom
During a visit to the Holy Archbishopric of Cyprus, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for Cyprus’s support for Ukraine but chose not to respond to comments by Archbishop Georgios that drew a parallel between Cyprus’s situation and Ukraine’s war.
Zelenskyy was in Cyprus on Wednesday to attend events marking the start of the country’s presidency of the Council of the European Union. As part of the program, he met with the head of the Church of Cyprus at the Holy Archbishopric.
Speaking briefly to the media at the start of the meeting, Archbishop Georgios referred to his past visits to Ukraine and to the Hagia Sophia, recalling them positively. Zelenskyy, listening through an interpreter, appeared receptive and attentive.
The tone shifted when the Archbishop spoke more broadly about geopolitics, noting that Cyprus faces a situation “similar to ours,” and lamenting that small countries can find themselves neighboring larger, more powerful states with ambitions toward their territory. At that point, Zelenskyy’s expression changed and he looked away, offering no public reaction to the comparison.
When the Ukrainian president addressed the gathering, he focused on thanking the Archbishop for remembering Ukraine and its people, as well as for his past visits. Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of Cyprus’s support during wartime and extended an invitation for the Archbishop to visit Kyiv. He did not address the Archbishop’s remarks about powerful neighbors or territorial ambitions.
