Putin's demands regarding the Russian language and church in Ukraine are unacceptable - language ombudswoman
Kyiv • UNN
The Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, Olena Ivanovska, stated that Putin's demands regarding the Russian language and the Moscow Patriarchate are unacceptable. She emphasized that these are tools of ideological war against Ukraine's independence.
The demands of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to grant the Russian language official status in Ukraine and to legitimize the Moscow Patriarchate are unacceptable. This was stated by the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, Olena Ivanovska, as reported by UNN.
Details
According to her, Putin is once again trying to dictate his terms to Ukraine: among the "demands" voiced during negotiations with US President Donald Trump are to grant the Russian language official status and to legitimize the Moscow Patriarchate.
These demands are cynical and unacceptable. They have nothing to do with human rights or freedom of choice. This is a weapon of ideological warfare aimed at undermining Ukrainian independence, splitting society, and returning us to colonial status.
She points out that the Russian language is not a "language of communication," as the Kremlin tries to present it.
This is an instrument of imperial policy, which for centuries imposed inferiority, destroyed Ukrainian culture, and tried to erase our identity. The Moscow Patriarchate is part of the same mechanism of subjugation.
She emphasized that Ukraine has already paid a huge price for the right to be itself.
"Thousands of lives have been given at the front, in our peaceful cities and villages – and each of them proves: our language, our faith, our culture are not for sale and are not exchanged for an illusory 'peace'. We must be aware: concessions on the language issue are equivalent to concessions on the issue of freedom. A step back in language is a step towards losing the state. Ukrainian was, is, and will be the only state language. Our strength is in our own word. Our freedom is in the Ukrainian language. Language is a weapon. And we will not allow it to be taken away," Ivanovska summarized.
Context
According to The New York Times, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, during the summit in Alaska, requested guarantees that the Russian language would become official in Ukraine, and also demanded security for Russian Orthodox churches.
Recall
The Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, Olena Ivanovska, calls for updating the law on the ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. She proposes excluding the Russian language from the list of those requiring protection, as it does not need Ukraine's support.