Given the ongoing armed aggression of the Russian Federation, there can be no Russian national minorities in Ukraine at the moment

This was stated by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk on November 20 in an interview on the air of the national telethon "United News".

"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 this nation does not show respect, but on the contrary - carries out aggression against Ukraine, then its rights should be infringed on in this part. We have reached a complete understanding here. Therefore, there are currently no Russian national minorities in Ukraine and there cannot be," he said.

Stefanchuk also explained 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 discuss with our colleagues about any exceptions, because representatives of the people who are currently committing genocide of the Ukrainian people, committing aggression, waging war against Ukraine, cannot have any privileges in our country regarding any nuances related to their national minority," the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada summed up.

As a reminder, on December 13, 2022, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted Law No. 8224 on National Minorities as a whole. The adoption of the law is one of the main requirements for Ukraine's candidacy in the European Union.