‘There are Ukrainians who speak Russian’: the Deputy Prime Minister stated that there is no Russian minority in Ukraine

Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olga Stefanyshyna, stated that during negotiations with the European Union on the protection of minority rights, the issue of protecting the Russian minority should not be raised because it simply doesn’t exist.

She made this statement on November 9th in Kyiv during a joint press conference with the EU Ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Maternova.

“In Ukraine, there is no Russian minority. It simply doesn’t exist! There is not a single legally recognized community that identifies itself as a Russian minority. There are Ukrainians, some of whom speak Russian. I’m from Odessa, and when I want to, I speak in Ukrainian, and when I want to, I speak in Russian, and I don’t need ‘Moskali’ or the decisions of the Venice Commission to make that choice,” said the Vice Prime Minister.

She added that ensuring the rights of minorities would be a key issue on Ukraine’s path to EU membership, and it’s not just a Ukrainian problem. According to her, several other candidate countries have also faced requirements in this area during EU accession negotiations.

Stefanyshyna also noted that despite the Venice Commission mentioning the issue of the Russian minority in its decisions and recommendations to Kyiv, this is not part of the dialogue with the EU.

She emphasized that Brussels shares this viewpoint, saying, “I am glad that the European Commission understands this.”