Policy

Multiple citizenship: Zelensky spoke about its importance for Ukraine

Ukraine needs an institution of multiple citizenship. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy when presenting the “Internal Resilience Plan” in the Verkhovna Rada, Komersant ukrainskyi reports

One of the main theses of this plan is the introduction of multiple citizenship in Ukraine.

“We have to recognize this reality, Ukrainians are already a global nation, and we should not try to restrict their rights, but to direct them in the interests of Ukraine,” Zelensky said.

He also spoke of the need to “restart the diplomatic service” and announced appointments among Ukraine’s ambassadors.

“We are now working on this together with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. By the end of the year, we will replace the Ukrainian ambassadors, paying special attention to the G7 countries. We will fill all the vacancies of Ukrainian ambassadors,” the president promised.

Under current law, Ukraine does not recognize other citizenships of its citizens. In fact, many Ukrainians who are currently abroad have already obtained or plan to obtain the citizenship of their host countries in the future.

on January 22, 2024, the President submitted a bill on multiple citizenship to the Verkhovna Rada.

What is multiple citizenship?

Multiple citizenship (multipatriotism) is a citizenship status in which a person is consistently recognized as a citizen of two or more countries under the laws of those countries. It is assumed that states enter into a bilateral agreement with each other in which they mutually recognize the status of a person with two passports, his or her rights and obligations.

In some countries, a distinction is made between a person’s citizenship, which is more related to participation in the domestic political life of the country, and nationality, which refers to the international status of a person. Although multiple citizenship gives certain preferences to its holders, there may be conflicts of law, for example, in the performance of military and other duties under the laws of individual countries.

Multiple citizenship is permitted in most countries, but the rules and conditions may vary considerably. Most European countries recognize multiple citizenship. For example, France, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom allow citizens to hold multiple passports. The exceptions are Austria and Estonia, which have strict restrictions, although there are exceptions in certain circumstances.

America also generally supports dual citizenship. The United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina allow multiple citizenships without significant restrictions.