The relaxation of Ukrainian exit rules over the summer led to a significant increase in the number of young Ukrainian men aged 18 to 22 entering Germany, rising from 19 per week in mid-August to between 1,400 and 1,800 per week in October, according to reports citing the German interior ministry.
Markus Söder, Bavaria’s conservative premier and an ally of Merz, suggested restricting the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive if Kyiv doesn’t reduce arrivals voluntarily. This directive grants Ukrainians automatic protected status.
Germany, a strong ally of Ukraine within the EU, has hosted over 1.2 million Ukrainian refugees since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 and is the largest military aid donor to Ukraine after the U.S. in terms of absolute numbers.
Members of Merz’s ruling coalition are concerned that the escalating presence of young Ukrainian men in Germany could become a political issue for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which criticizes the government’s ongoing support for Kyiv.
The AfD, currently polling first, has consistently called for an end to welfare payments to Ukrainians. Around 490,000 Ukrainian citizens of working age receive long-term unemployment benefits in Germany, based on data from the country’s employment agency.
Merz’s coalition — under increasing fiscal pressure and generally aiming to reduce welfare spending — is drafting a law to cut the right to such benefits for Ukrainians and promote employment.
“In Germany, the transfer payments for these refugees will be structured so that the incentives to work are greater than the incentives in the transfer system,” Merz said Thursday.
In the same discussion, Merz urged Zelenskyy to address the country’s corruption issues as Kyiv deals with the impact of a major scandal involving kickbacks, another concern for German officials who fear it could undermine public support for Ukraine.
Leave a Reply