KIEV, October 3 (RIA Novosti) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Friday that English and not Russian should be the mandatory second language taught in schools in Ukraine, local news agency Gai-info reported.
"Not Russian, but English [language] should be the mandatory second language in Ukraine," Poroshenko said at his working visit to the city of Lviv, western Ukraine. He added that there is a connection between English language skills and the quality of living.
Poroshenko added Ukraine's cabinet of Ministers has not had to rely on interpreters recently, which has changed for the best the attitude toward Ukraine from its partners.
According to Poroshenko, all ministers must know English and this is another criterion apart from lustration, or corruption screening, which they need to meet. He added that senior staff in Ukrainian universities should also know English.
The current leaders of Ukraine, including the president and the prime minister, speak English and quite frequently use English when meeting their English-speaking partners.
