Polish minister, visiting Kyiv, calls for end to benefits for Ukrainian men

15/9/2024 6:26

        European governments should halt welfare benefits to Ukrainian men of military age who are living in their countries, Poland's foreign minister said, a measure he said would help Ukraine call up more troops to fight Russian forces.
        
        Following a meeting in Kyiv with his Ukrainian counterpart, Poland's Radoslaw Sikorski said ending social benefits for Ukrainian male refugees would also benefit state finances in host countries in Western Europe.
        
        More than 4.1 million Ukrainians had temporary protection status in European Union countries as of July this year, and about 22% of them were adult men, according to data from the EU statistics office, Eurostat.
        
        "Stop paying those social security payments for people who are eligible for the Ukrainian draft. There should be no financial incentives for avoiding the draft in Ukraine," Sikorski said at a conference of international leaders in Kyiv. "It's not a human right to be paid to avoid the draft, to defend your country. We in Poland don't do it." Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha welcomed Sikorski's call.