Stepanov recalled that Canada was among the first to support the power change in Ukraine in 2014. Since then, the Canadian government has been turning a "blind eye" to the decisions of Kiev, including policies aimed at infringing on the rights of the Russian and Russian-speaking population, he said.
"To put it mildly, the short-sighted approach is especially surprising given the rich Canadian experience of a multinational [nation] and the harmonious coexistence of two official languages within one country. Canada could share this positive experience with Ukraine. This could be a real contribution to the resolution of the conflict," the ambassador concluded.
Adopted in 2019, a new language policy in Ukraine requires television channels to broadcast at least 90% of their content in the Ukrainian language, and requires state-sponsored cultural events to be conducted in Ukrainian, despite Russian being the predominant language in large cities in the east and south of the country.