Sikorski comments on possible limitation of welfare benefits for conscript-age Ukrainian men in Poland

The head of the Polish Foreign Ministry, Radosław Sikorski, believes that any scheme of restrictions for draft-age Ukrainian men staying abroad should be applied across the EU rather than by individual member states.

The top diplomat said this in an interview with The Guardian, Ukrinform reports.

“Ukraine has to tell us what she wants us to do about their citizens. What I certainly don’t believe is that there is a human right to be paid social security for being a draft dodger. Those people fighting at the front also have human rights,” Sikorski emphasized.

The head of the Polish Foreign Ministry noted that any scheme for restricting benefits should be European-wide, otherwise those who evade the draft will start “benefit-shopping” throughout Europe. According to the minister, Poland is ready to support the European-wide scheme to encourage Ukrainian men of military age to return to their homeland.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Sikorski said in April that it is Ukraine that needs to take the initiative in the matter of returning men of draft age home as the issue is "ethically ambiguous" for Poland.

Today, there are about a million war-displaced Ukrainians staying in Poland while the total number of Ukrainian citizens in the Republic of Poland exceeds 3 million.

Photo: weekendfm.pl