somewhat pessimistic

[Drij]

I'm happy the fact Yushchenko was elected president. But I'm now thinking, he will give in to the russian language in Ukraine only to show the EU it allows equal rights etc. I hope this doens't happen and it gets no recognition, with strengthened Ukrainian language and nation.

[nickcsadler]

So you don`t think anything other than English should be spoken in England or only German in Germany or only Polish in Poland...VERY narrow minded me thinks!!!!! you need to realise that just about every country in the World is multi racial and multi cultural... your thinking is VERY nationalistic and the start of a slippery slope similar to Nazism....

[Sergiox]

I agree with Nick, this is a chance for Ukraine to stand up be counted as a tolerant civilsied nation. Get over it and move on into the 21st century, the language doesn't matter it is how the people are treated and how the democracy is allowed to floursih. Happy New Year Ukraine.

[Ulysses]

Now Nick,

Drij, has an excellent point. Every citizen of Ukraine MUST learn Ukrainian just like every citizen of France MUST learn French and every citizen of Japan MUST learn Japanese. A language is one of the elements that binds a nation together.

One of the essential tools for succeeding in any country is the ability to communicate effectively. If a person wishes to speak a second language at home, with friends, or read publications in a foreign language that's fine.

Originally posted by nickcsadler
So you don`t think anything other than English should be spoken in England or only German in Germany or only Polish in Poland...VERY narrow minded me thinks!!!!! you need to realise that just about every country in the World is multi racial and multi cultural... your thinking is VERY nationalistic and the start of a slippery slope similar to Nazism....

[Neighbour]

Half of Ukraine speaks Russian. It's great that Orange prevailed but you need to cool down now. An attempt to force every second citizen to speak Ukrainian is futile and will only bring tension to the country. This is what Russian radicals are waiting for - they will fuel these destructive emotions to destabilise the country. Tact and diplomacy - this is what Ukraine needs now

[JG]

As Latvia is currently finding out, it is not possible to force people to adopt a specific language or culture. When I was in Riga in 2000, I heard many people speaking Latvian. When I went there several times in 2004, I heard almost no Latvian spoken. Their Language Law has provoked anger amongst other ethnic groups. These people are unlikely to help in the preservation of Latvian culture. The result will probably be the loss of the Latvian language.

Whilst Western Europe is not utopia, the main reason we are generally living comfortably is because we have found that tolerance of each other's cultures and traditions is better than killing each other.

[Drij]

Ukrainian language would be lost if russian became an official language. It's so strong it has to be slowly removed not by force but more Ukrainian has to be taught and used. Even though russian is tolerated in Ukraine half a country can't be lost because of it. For so long there has been to much russian influence, that cannot be tolerated for the health of Ukraine.