The Minister of Defense of Poland Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said that Warsaw is ready to help Ukraine return men of conscription age so that they "fulfill their civic duty". However, he did not say how it would work.
Reuters cites the officialʼs words.
According to him, Poland previously offered to help Ukraine with the return of conscripts.
"I think many Poles are outraged when they see young Ukrainian men in hotels and cafes and hear how much effort we have to make to help Ukraine," Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
Exactly how Poland can help Ukraine return the men — the Minister of Defense did not specify. In his opinion, the form of such "help" mostly depends on the Ukrainian side. For example, if Kyiv asks for help to bring home those who may lose the right to stay in Poland after the passport expires.
According to the Eurostat database, as of January 2024, approximately 4.3 million Ukrainians live in the countries of the European Union, of which about 860 000 are adult men. Poland granted the status of temporary protection to 950 000 Ukrainians, which is the second highest figure after Germany.
- The Cabinet of Ministers has banned sending passports of citizens of Ukraine and passports for traveling abroad. These are documents issued for men aged 18 to 60.