Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has proposed ending welfare payments for Ukrainian men of fighting age in Europe to encourage their return to Ukraine and bolster its military ranks as the war enters its third year.
Sikorski said Friday during a discussion at the 20th Yalta European Strategy (YES) meeting in Kyiv that European countries should “stop paying social security benefits to those eligible for the Ukrainian draft.”
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His comments come as Ukraine seeks to replenish its army by persuading emigrants to return and fight against Russia's ongoing invasion. Some men fled Ukraine to avoid conscription despite an official ban on leaving the country for most men of fighting age.
“There should be no financial incentives for avoiding the draft in Ukraine,” Sikorski added. He also urged other European countries to adopt this measure, noting that Poland does not provide social security payments to refugees.
Sikorski argued that the move would not only encourage eligible men to return but would also “help Western European finances” and provide political support for mainstream parties against right-wing radicals.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha voiced tentative support for the idea, saying he would back it if “appropriate conditions” were met. Sybiha estimated that around a million Ukrainian men of mobilization age are abroad, including 300,000 in Poland.
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