EU Rejects Zelensky's Call to Repatriate Male Refugees for Frontline Support

FILE - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen approach media before their press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's plea for EU nations to repatriate fighting-age male refugees to support Ukraine's military has been met with unanimous rejection from European countries. As Ukraine intensifies its counter-offensive against Russia, Zelensky urged nations to send back men of military age to boost troop numbers. However, countries such as Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic have opposed the request, highlighting their reliance on Ukrainian workers in critical sectors like construction and transport. With over 6 million Ukrainian refugees currently abroad, the European nations face a dilemma between military support for Ukraine and the economic impact of losing essential labor.

European nations are rejecting calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy to repatriate fighting-age male refugees to their homeland to assist on the frontline.

Zelensky appealed to several EU countries to deport men of military age back to bolster military numbers both prior to and during Ukraine’s counter-offensive push into Russia this month.

The request was unanimously rejected by EU member states.

Ukrainian news site New Voice specifically referenced opposition from Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic because these countries have a shortage of workers. In Poland and the Czech Republic, for example, Ukrainians make up 30 percent of the workforce in the construction and transport sectors, and they would be reluctant to give up this labor.

“Frankly speaking, many Czech companies depend on the skills and hard work of Ukrainian refugees. The construction industry, for example, would come to a complete halt without Ukrainian workers,” said Tomasz Prouza, the head of a hospitality lobbying group in Czechia, to Bloomberg.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, there are currently more than 6 million Ukrainian refugees abroad, and it is likely that another 400,000 will leave the country in 2024 due to the persistent Russian attacks on infrastructure across the country.