Ukraine’s New Romanian Language Day: A Diplomatic Gambit

In a significant diplomatic gesture, Ukraine has announced it will officially celebrate Romanian Language Day on August 31 for the first time. The decision was unveiled during a visit to Kyiv by Romanian Foreign Minister Oana-Silvia Țoiu, signaling a strategic move by the Ukrainian government to strengthen ties with a key neighbor and ally as it pursues European Union integration amidst the ongoing war.

This development marks a notable shift from Ukraine’s controversial 2017 education law, which significantly curtailed instruction in minority languages and led to the closure of most Romanian-language schools. The policy drew sharp criticism, with figures like Romanian MEP Diana Șoșoacă accusing Kyiv of discriminating against its ethnic Romanian population, which numbered over 150,000 in the 2001 census and is concentrated in the Chernivtsi and Zakarpattia regions. Șoșoacă claimed that over a million Romanians in Ukraine were mistreated, with their rights to use their language in schools and churches restricted.

Unlike Hungary, which has maintained a hardline stance and blocked Ukraine’s EU path over the rights of its own ethnic minority, Romania has adopted a more cooperative approach. Bucharest has become an indispensable partner for Kyiv, providing a crucial transit route for military aid, fuel, and Ukrainian grain exports despite protests from its own farmers. The new holiday is widely seen as a reciprocal act of goodwill from Kyiv, aimed at ensuring this vital support continues uninterrupted. The move was welcomed in neighboring Moldova, which also celebrates the holiday and whose pro-European government has actively worked to align Ukraine’s and its own EU accession bids.

During her visit, Minister Țoiu met with top Ukrainian officials, including the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, emphasizing the need to protect the rights of the Romanian community. The discussions also focused on defense cooperation, boosting cross-border infrastructure to aid in Ukraine’s future reconstruction, and energy security. The visit culminated in a trilateral meeting in Chernivtsi between the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Romania, and Moldova, where they underscored their coordinated efforts to enhance regional stability and advance their shared path toward the EU.