By KYIV. Nov 20 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Amid Russia’s ongoing armed aggression against Ukraine, there cannot be any Russian national minorities in Ukraine at the moment, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk has said.
“I am very grateful to both the Venice Commission and the European Commission for listening to the arguments and approaching with understanding that there should be a principle of mutual respect. If these people do not show respect, but on the contrary, they demonstrate aggression against Ukraine, then their rights should be restricted in this part. We have found complete mutual understanding here. Therefore, there are no Russian national minorities in Ukraine at the moment and there cannot be any of them here,” he said on the air of the national telethon on Monday.
Stefanchuk also said that the law on national minorities (communities) of Ukraine, adopted in December 2022, does not apply to national communities representing the aggressor country.
“And in general, we are not even ready to have a discussion with our colleagues about any exceptions, because representatives of the people who today are committing genocide of the Ukrainian people, committing aggression, waging war against Ukraine cannot have any privileges in our country regarding any nuances associated with their national minority,” he said.
