Kiev to fight assimilation of its citizens abroad – FM
Kiev is concerned about Ukrainians living abroad integrating into the societies of their host countries too fast, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba told a forum in Kiev on Friday.
According to Ukrainian media outlets, nearly 5 million people who fled Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict were still living abroad as of January 2024, mostly in Germany and Poland. According to the outlets, up to 2.3 million of these émigrés might never return home.
“It has become clear that assimilation would be extremely fast if we do not change our policy towards Ukrainians abroad,” Kuleba said. The minister added that he does not believe “most Ukrainians who left will return.” He also maintained that the authorities should work with those living abroad for them to “remain Ukrainian.”
The senior diplomat provided few details about the “comprehensive policy” his ministry was supposedly developing to achieve this goal. The list of measures mentioned by Kuleba involved “multiple citizenship” and closer cooperation with organized Ukrainian communities abroad, as well as digital consular services.
