Tensions are rising in Poland and Germany due to the increasing number of young Ukrainians
Political tensions are rising in Poland and Germany due to a sharp increase in the number of young Ukrainian men arriving after the relaxation of exit rules from Ukraine. This is reported by Politico.
Representatives of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s party said that public support for Ukraine could decrease if the number of men avoiding military service in the country increases.
“We are not interested in young Ukrainian men spending time in Germany instead of defending their country”, said MP Jürgen Hardt.
He stressed that Berlin will continue to support Ukraine, but migration processes must be controlled.
In Poland, the far-right party “Confederation” declared that the country “cannot be a haven for men who are supposed to defend Ukraine.” Its representatives stressed that the presence of such refugees creates an additional financial burden on Polish taxpayers. Despite the fact that Ukrainians make up more than 6% of Poland’s workforce, far-right politicians believe that they receive excessive social benefits. Polish President Karol Nawrocki recently vetoed a law on assistance to Ukrainians, stating that only those who work and pay taxes should receive support.
Similar sentiments are observed in Germany. The Alternative for Germany party, which is currently leading in opinion polls, is calling for an end to payments to Ukrainian refugees. According to the German employment agency, about 490,000 working-age Ukrainians receive long-term unemployment benefits. Social Democratic Party MP Sebastian Fiedler stressed that Germany has no right to determine “who Ukraine sends to war and who doesn’t.”
According to the Polish border service, after the change in exit rules, 98,500 Ukrainians aged 18 to 22 crossed the border with Poland in just two months — almost twice as many as before. In Germany, the number of young men arriving increased from 19 per week in August to over 1,500 per week in October.
