Canada’s stand on a recent Russian decision affecting Donbass
On April 24, 2019, Global Affairs Canada condemned Putin’s executive order to grant Russian citizenship for Ukrainians from Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
By means of its Twitter account, the Canadian Foreign Agency expressed its discontent with this “destabilizing proposal” and “the ongoing Russian-backed violence in eastern Ukraine.” The diplomatic establishment also reaffirmed its support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Canada condemns the ongoing Russian-backed violence in eastern Ukraine and its destabilizing proposal to extend citizenship to inhabitants of #Donbas. We stand with Ukraine in support of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
— Foreign Policy CAN (@CanadaFP) April 24, 2019
The executive order which facilitates the citizenship application procedure for the residents of Donbass came into force earlier on the same day. It defines a list of documents required for submission and reduces the application processing time down to three months. This decision was published right after the second round of the presidential election in Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the famous Ukrainian comedian with no political experience, defeated incumbent Petro Poroshenko with 73 percent of the votes. According to Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the Russian President did not congratulate Zelenskiy on his victory. The spokesman also stated that Russia respected the choice of Ukrainian people, questioning, however, the legitimacy of the election due to the lack of opportunity for Ukrainians to vote in the Ukrainian diplomatic mission in Russia.
