Lavrov: Moscow Does Not Demand Official Status for Russian Language in Ukraine, Aims to Revoke Anti-Russian Laws
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov officially declared that Moscow does not insist on Russian obtaining the status of a state language in Ukraine.
In his statements, he explained that the Kremlin’s main goal is to push Kyiv to abolish laws that, according to Moscow, currently ban the use of Russian language and restrict the rights of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Lavrov emphasized that the initial step should be the annulment of all legal acts that prohibit the Russian language and the church—to restore cultural and religious freedoms for Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine.
Moreover, he stated that Kyiv attempts to shift focus from this issue, but, in his view, such plans are unlikely to succeed.
In an additional interview with NBC, Lavrov expressed the idea that Ukraine has the right to exist provided it allows people who identify with Russian culture through referendums to remain within the country.
In 2023, Olga Stefanishna, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, pointed out that Ukraine currently has no officially registered community that formally identifies as a Russian minority.
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to Lavrov’s remarks, warning that Russia continually makes demands that hinder the peace process, including threats of renewed war over alleged security interests and the rights of Russian-speaking populations.
Zelensky underscored that the official language of Ukraine is Ukrainian and emphasized its importance for national unity, regardless of diplomatic statements.