Poland is ready to help Ukraine to get its citizens of legal age to return and help their homeland in the war against Russia, Defense Minister Vladislav Koshinyak-Kamish said yesterday, quoted by Reuters and BTA.
Yesterday, the Ukrainian government announced rules according to which passports for men of military age can only be issued domestically, instead of at foreign diplomatic missions. As a result, men between the ages of 18 and 59 living abroad will not be able to renew their expiring passports or obtain new ones.
In the past, Poland has offered to help Ukraine so that those subject to military service can return to their country to fulfill their civic duty, Kośniak-Kamish told Polsat TV.
"I think a lot of 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," he noted, without elaborating on what exactly expresses the help of Warsaw.
As of January 2024, about 4.3 million Ukrainians live in EU countries, of which about 860,000 are adult men, according to Eurostat data. Poland has granted temporary protection status to 950,000 Ukrainians, the second highest number after Germany.