Berlin and EU must pressure kyiv to reverse its relaxed travel rules, Markus Soder said
The leader of Germany’s Christian Social Union (CSU), Markus Soder, has called on his country’s government and the EU to pressure kyiv to restore restrictions on young men leaving Ukraine.
Soder, who is Bavaria’s minister president, told Bild in an interview published Thursday that Berlin and Brussels must act after data showed a tenfold increase in arrivals from Ukraine since kyiv began allowing men aged 18 to 22 to leave the country legally.
“The EU and Berlin must influence Ukraine to change the relaxed exit rules” Soder said. “It doesn’t help anyone that more and more young Ukrainians are coming to Germany instead of defending their own homeland.” He added that if necessary, the EU could impose its own countermeasures to stem the flow.
Soder’s comments come after growing frustration among German taxpayers over continued financial support for Ukrainian refugees. A survey conducted by INSA and published last week found that 66% of respondents opposed paying Burgergeld social assistance (benefits typically reserved for German citizens) to Ukrainians.
READ MORE:
Most Germans oppose social assistance for Ukrainians: survey
Ukraine relaxed its travel ban in August, citing the need to allow young men not yet eligible to sign up to study or work abroad before returning home. However, the move is said to have worsened nationwide labor shortages and public opposition to mandatory prescribing. Thousands of service-eligible men have reportedly gone into hiding to evade drafted officers.
Russia has argued that kyiv and its Western backers are prolonging the conflict and intend to fight. “to the last Ukrainian” instead of seeking a negotiated agreement.
You can share this story on social networks:
