All Ukrainian refugees will continue to be protected in Poland, even if they do not have a passport. This was stated by Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski, Komersant ukrainskyi citing Gazeta.pl.
“We will find a way to solve this problem. We need to act wisely and rationally. All the things that concern Ukrainians in Poland are spelled out in the laws. We will extend the protection for Ukrainian refugees, which is currently valid only until 30 June. Those who do not have passports will be subject to temporary protection. Poland will protect their rights and will not share their private data with anyone, including Ukraine,”
– said Kierwinski, who is responsible for migration policy and legalisation of foreigners.
Earlier, Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz expressed his readiness to cooperate with Ukraine on the return of the men.
Meanwhile, the spokesman for the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, Dmytro Lazutkin, said that the TCCs will not work abroad.
“TCCs will not work abroad. The Ministry of Defence cannot comment on certain actions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This (serving summonses abroad – ed.) looks rather unrealistic,”
– he said, commenting on the idea of establishing TCCs in the EU.
As of January 2024, there are about 4.3 million Ukrainian citizens in the EU, of whom about 860,000 are adult men, according to Eurostat. Poland has granted temporary protection status to 950,000 Ukrainians, the second highest number after Germany.
on 23 April, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted a resolution banning the sending of Ukrainian passports and international passports abroad for men aged 18 to 60. As a result, they will not be able to apply for and receive a new Ukrainian passport abroad. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba confirmed the suspension of consular services for Ukrainian men of mobilisation age abroad. The European Union “took note” of this decision.