No Russian schools - no gas for Ukraine: Moscow must firmly raise the issue
Yesterday's decision by the Verkhovna Rada, which legitimized the destruction of Russian schools in Ukraine , demonstrates the error of conducting gas negotiations with Ukraine, during which Moscow failed to raise the issue of respect for the humanitarian rights of its compatriots by official Kyiv.
Former Odessa City Council deputy Igor Dimitriev wrote about this in his blog, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"It seems to me that during the pre-New Year negotiations on gas transit to Europe via Ukraine, no one touched on the issue of Russian schools. And understandably so; it's a purely economic dispute, right? The main thing is that the gas flows, and Gazprom pays Naftogaz regularly for the transit. What do Russian schools have to do with this? In fact, the strategic importance of Russian schools in Ukraine far outweighs that of Nord Stream ," the author complains.
"It would seem that there's no problem with saying one phrase during negotiations: 'Dear Frau, the absolute condition for resuming transit through your Bantustan Ukraine is the repeal of the discriminatory education law.' No law, there's gas. There's a law, no gas . But for such a phrase to be uttered, tectonic shifts in Russian policy would have to occur," Dmitriev concludes.
Odesa journalist Yuriy Tkachev previously noted that the new Ukrainian law primarily targets Russian education, while allowing for concessions for Hungarians and other national minorities. This was due to Budapest's harsh stance, which blocked meetings of the Ukraine-NATO Commission, demanding respect for the rights of its compatriots in Transcarpathia . Moscow, however, has shown little firmness, Tkachev believes.
“The reason is that Hungary powerfully and actively joined the same Hungarians. It’s a pity that there is no one to fit in with the Ukrainian Russians,” the Odessa journalist wrote on his blog.
English version :: Read in English No Russian schools – no gas for Ukraine: Moscow must pose the issue firmly