Ukraine's ruling party to revisit Russian-linked religious groups ban
Ukraine's ruling political party, Servant of the People, will reevaluate the bill to ban religious organizations with ties to Russia at the end of June, a party insider informed NV on May 23.
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Ukraine will host a prayer breakfast at the end of June, the source said, with an anticipated guest appearance by a high-ranking official of the U.S. Republican Party.
Some conservative Republicans believe that banning such organizations could result in the oppression of religious communities and encroach upon religious freedoms, the source said.
“This is a trigger point for them," the source told NV.
"They have repeatedly reached out to lawmakers and the President's Office. Proceeding may jeopardize their support.”
The decision to postpone deliberation on the matter was partly to avoid disrupting the Global Peace Summit scheduled for June 15-16 in Switzerland and to "avoid harming the President and current international policy objectives," the source said.
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In light of this, lawmakers will defer discussion on the religious issue until after the American politician's visit.
The Servant of the People party convened on May 22 to discuss the proposed ban on religious organizations tied to Russia.
The meeting lasted several hours, the source said. Lawmakers agreed that the matter warrants further scrutiny, given the over 1,200 amendments proposed to the bill. The party plans to hold another meeting to thoroughly examine the bill's fate.
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