The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry defends the interests of Ukrainians in Russia, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostiantyn Hryschenko.
"We’re defending the interests of our countrymen in Russia, taking into account their words and not someone’s words that could be thrust on us," the minister said in an interview with the Fifth TV Channel late on Sunday.
Commenting on the situation around the Library of Ukrainian Literature in Moscow, he said that the issue was discussed at a meeting of delegations of the two countries and with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
"We’ve brought up the issue to ensure normal functioning of the Library of Ukrainian Literature, which was established by Moscow City Hall and is financed using Russian budget funds so that the needs of Ukrainians could be satisfied in full in the segment," he said.
Hryschenko said that there is a misbalance between opportunities for Russians in Ukraine and opportunities for Ukrainians in Russia.
"In Soviet period there was no any Ukrainian school there, and the situation is still the same today, while Ukraine has thousands of Russian schools. [Now] the proportions changed, but we understand that everyone who wants to take his child to a Russian school has this possibility [in Ukraine]," he said.
