Ukraine's president-elect rejects Russian passport plan

in #undefined6 years ago

Ukraine's president-elect has mocked Russia's offer to give passports to his countrymen, saying the document would provide "the right to be arrested".

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In a Facebook post rejecting the idea, Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to give citizenship to "suffering" Russians.

Earlier this week, Russia's President Vladimir Putin signed a decree offering people in eastern Ukraine's separatist territories passports.

He later said he was mulling extending the scheme to all Ukrainians.

But Mr Zelensky - a former comedian with no political experience who was elected president last Sunday - said he did not believe many of his countrymen would take up the offer.

"Ukrainians are free people in a free country," he said.

Instead, he offered citizenship to "all people who suffer from authoritarian and corrupt regimes", but firstly "to the Russian people who suffer most of all".

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