Zelensky says Russia’s demands for second official language aim to complicate negotiations

He made this statement during a conversation with journalists, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

Commenting on Russia’s claims that Crimea and Donbas were allegedly not the root causes of the war, and its demand to grant Russian official status, Zelensky said: “We have a state language — Ukrainian. Russia can say whatever it wants… I believe these demands are purely meant to impose ultimatums and complicate the negotiation process.”

As previously reported, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently stated that long-term agreements to end the war would be impossible unless Ukraine respects Russia’s security interests and the rights of the “Russian-speaking population.”

Ukraine’s Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, Olena Ivanovska, responded by saying that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s demands to grant Russian official status and legitimize the Moscow Patriarchate are unacceptable.

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