Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga has supported a proposal by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski to stop providing social benefits to Ukrainian male refugees of military age in the European Union, Reuters reported on September 14.
According to the agency, the Polish Foreign Minister believes that this measure will help Ukraine to send more troops to the combat zone. He also believes that it will benefit the public finances of the host countries in Western Europe.
“In fact, it is time to raise the question of whether the EU is developing programmes to return Ukrainians home. Of course, it is necessary to create the appropriate conditions for this. But this should be on the agenda. And I support Sikorsky’s idea,” Andrei Sibiga supported his colleague’s proposal.
Reuters, citing data from the EU statistics office Eurostat, writes that as of July 2024, more than 4.1 million Ukrainian citizens had temporary protection status in the European Union, of whom about 22% were adult men.
