Ukraine's government says it will not force Ukrainians to return from EU countries

Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, has stressed that Ukraine will not forcibly bring military-age Ukrainian men back from other countries. 

Stefanishyna emphasised in an interview with German international broadcaster and media agency DW that providing personal details to an enlistment office does not mean automatic mobilisation to the front.  

"Ukraine has adopted the mobilisation law, and we have to understand to what extent we can replace the guys on the front line. This is about the potential of mobilisation – the registry and information. And that is the primary goal of our decision," the deputy prime minister said.

Stefanishyna said that Ylva Johansson, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, will visit Ukraine in May to discuss the future legal status of Ukrainians abroad with the Ukrainian authorities, because the EU’s current temporary protection mechanism is valid until March 2025.

"So there will be no restrictions or forced returns of Ukrainian citizens of any sex or age to a country that is at war. But there are no pleasant solutions to war issues, and let's not forget that the war continues, and we must win it," Stefanishyna stressed.

On 23 April 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine decided to temporarily suspend the provision of services at Ukrainian diplomatic institutions to men who are liable for military service under the law on mobilisation. 

The government says that from now on, access to consular services will only be granted to men with valid military registration documents who have updated their details at the enlistment office.

Poland’s Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński had previously announced that the Polish government would consider Ukraine's decision to suspend consular services for men aged 18-60 in deciding whether to extend temporary protection for Ukrainians.

Estonia has stated that it will not deport Ukrainian men whose passports have expired.