05 December 2025, 12:15

How to fix Ukraine’s language issue? “Ask the people,” says expert

Nikolai Platoshkin. [Screengrab/BelTA]

World-famous… and Belarusian! BelTA launches new project On Point. The Nation’s Pride

Opinion: Europe was a U.S. tool against the USSR, but now it's expendable

MINSK, 5 December (BelTA) – In order to resolve the language issue in Ukraine, a referendum must be held so that people can express their views, Doctor of Historical Sciences Nikolai Platoshkin said in the latest episode of the V Teme [On Point] project on BelTA’s YouTube channel.

Discussing the topic of stopping Nazi propaganda in Ukraine, Nikolai Platoshkin noted that Donald Trump’s plan does not address the issue of making Russian a state language. “It states that Ukraine must respect the rights of ethnic minorities in line with European standards. What are these European standards?” Nikolai Platoshkin asked.

The political scientist remarked that in line with a formal definition, ethnic minorities are small, non-native-speaking groups living in compact communities in a given country. “Will Russians say they live compactly somewhere in Ukraine? No. Then they’ll say they’re not actually a minority. If you look into it, more than half the population speaks Russian on a daily basis, even those who state in their passports that they’re Ukrainian,” said Nikolai Platoshkin. “A Soviet-like approach should be used. If you want to teach your child in Ukrainian, go ahead. If you want to teach them in Russian, go ahead.”

He concluded: “They could schedule a referendum in Ukraine at some reasonable date (not 100 years from now) on whether to grant Russian the status of either a second state language or an official language. Let them decide. They need to ask the people about it.”