MOSCOW, August 5. /TASS/. Kiev’s national policy has turned into nationalism, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram on Thursday, commenting on Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s statement that Donbass residents who consider themselves to be Russians should move to Russia.
"The Kiev regime has crossed all the red lines that separate a national policy from nationalism. It will have a bad end. There is a need to learn the lessons of history, otherwise history will repeat itself," she said, adding that in the future, some might demand that Zelensky leave the country.
Zakharova pointed out that instead of uniting Ukraine’s multi-ethnic people, Zelensky is sowing discord. "It was the people whom he is now forcing to leave the country that ensured his election win, that is, the Russian-speaking people in southeastern, southern and central Ukraine. Instead of fulfilling his promise to establish peace, Zelensky is trying to get rid of his voters who saw him fail to keep his word," the Russian diplomat noted.
Zakharova noted that "while it’s okay for some external powers and foreigners occupying high-ranking positions in Kiev to rule the country, Ukrainian citizens are being denied the right to identify with their ancestral homeland." "If Zelensky wants those who see themselves as Russians to leave the country, he should go all the way and suggest that those who dream of EU and NATO membership do the same," the Russian diplomat said.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Zelensky is paving the way for the surrender of Ukraine’s sovereignty by repeating remarks about the need to end the imaginary occupation of Donbass amid Kiev’s attempts to join the European Union and NATO.
Zelensky said earlier in an interview with the Dom TV channel that people who considered themselves to be Russians were making a big mistake by staying in Donbass because "it will never be part of Russia."