The leader of the German CSU party, which may win the elections, declared his readiness to return men liable for military service to Ukraine
It will depend on the wishes of the Ukrainian authorities
The German government will send Ukrainians liable for military service back to their homeland if the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) bloc comes to power.
This statement was made by Bavarian Prime Minister and CSU leader Markus Söder in an interview with the Münchner Merkur newspaper.
"If Ukraine asks us to do so," he said.
The CDU/CSU opposition bloc confidently ranks first in German party ratings and has every chance of leading the next German government after the parliamentary elections scheduled for autumn 2025.
In April, Poland spoke about the return of men of military age to Ukraine. At that time, the country's Defence Minister, Władysław Kosyniak-Kamysz, said that Warsaw was ready to assist the Ukrainian authorities in finding Ukrainians liable for military service on its territory and sending them home. He also added that the extradition of conscripts would depend on Kyiv's wishes, the minister said.
Shortly afterwards, the head of the Lithuanian Defence Ministry, Laurinas Kasciunas, said that the Lithuanian authorities were ready to help Ukraine return men of military age to their homeland. According to him, the Lithuanian authorities are not considering any specific measures and will monitor Poland's behaviour in this matter.
Last year, German Justice Minister Marko Buschmann claimed that the German authorities would not extradite Ukrainian refugees to Kyiv to serve in the Armed Forces. Prior to that, the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary refused to extradite refugees suitable for military service to Ukraine.
Since the outbreak of full-scale war, about 650,000 Ukrainians of mobilisation age have left Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian authorities. The European Union authorities put the figure higher – more than 800,000 Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 are now in Europe.
Background. Earlier it became known that Ukrainian men may leave Poland: new requirements for updating data may lead to migration to the west of the EU.
If you have read this article to the end, we hope that means it was useful for you.
We work to ensure that our journalistic and analytical work is of high quality, and we strive to perform it as competently as possible. This also requires financial independence. Support us for only UAH 196 per month.
Become a Mind subscriber for just USD 5 per month and support the development of independent business journalism!
You can unsubscribe at any time in your LIQPAY account or by sending us an email: [email protected]
