The Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, met privately with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow over the weekend and is now preparing to travel to Ukraine for talks, the Patriarchate said on Sunday.
Putin praised Theophilos for his efforts to help mediate negotiations with Kyiv, according to the statement. Putin also presented him with Russia’s Order of Friendship.
“In the coming days, I will focus on preparing for the visit and the talks in Ukraine, with the aim of bringing calm and peace to the region,” Theophilos said.
Theophilos also thanked Putin for backing the status quo governing the holy places in Jerusalem. The arrangement was put in place after Israel captured the Old City from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War and restricts Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount.
The Patriarchate said the visit was part of Theophilos’s “wider international engagement,” following his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington earlier this year.
