EU not eyeing strategy of returning displaced Ukrainians - MFA Spain

The strategy of returning Ukrainian refugees to their homeland is not yet being discussed in the European Union.

This was stated by Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albarez Bueno, who spoke at a discussion panel within the framework of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The discussion is not on the table at the moment as Europe is focused on the urgent needs related to the ongoing war and providing shelter to those fleeing it, the foreign minister said, answering a moderator’s question on whether there is a need to set up a mechanism to encourage the return of displaced Ukrainians.

According to the minister, if the war ends in the foreseeable future, the Ukrainians who have found shelter in the EU will themselves be willing to return to their country – if they have such choice.

The top diplomat said almost 200,000 displaced Ukrainians currently stay in Spain.

It should be recalled that, since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, about 6.3 million Ukrainians have fled their country, while another 4 million, including almost a million children, have become internally displaced persons, according to UN data.