As millions of Ukrainian refugees flee their homeland, some European countries are welcoming more than others. Much more needs to be done as part of a collective effort to support those facing new realities overseas and to support the most vulnerable.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced more than 10 million Ukrainians to flee their homes, some of them abroad. The majority are women and children, whom the European Union is trying to welcome, while most of the men remain in Ukraine to provide patriotic, military and humanitarian support to their country.
The majority of the displaced population have sought to settle in neighboring countries, primarily Poland. Ukrainian refugees now comprise 20 percent of the population in Warsaw, while half of the refugees are children.
Europe has not seen such a massive and rapid population shift since World War II. According to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 4 million people have left Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion a little over a month ago. This number represents one-tenth of the country’s total population before the war (Crimea and Russian-occupied territories included).
Poland stoically welcomes the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who are fleeing their country. The bulk of the aid and accommodation is being provided by municipalities and individuals, who may soon be exhausted from the support they undertake. The EU will have to share the burden more equitably; Poland has already done more than its fair share.
Some 33,000 Ukrainians are currently on French territory, only marginally higher than 18,000 before the war began on Feb 24. Among these, there are many departures to Spain and Portugal, and a few to Britain and Ireland. Indeed, the SNCF provides a special train with 500 seats for Ukrainians to go to Spain every day. In comparison, 112,000 Ukrainians are currently in Spain and 286,000 in Italy. France can therefore do better!
Britain has been criticized for its slow visa issuance. As at March 30, the Home Office admitted that only 2,700 visas had been granted under Homes for Ukraine, a sponsorship program for Ukrainians without relatives, compared with 25,500 for those with qualifying family members in the UK, under the Ukraine Family Scheme. Despite the scale of the Ukrainian humanitarian crisis, the UK requires Ukrainians fleeing the war to seek entry clearance, unlike EU countries which have opened their doors widely and left the administration for later. Progress in issuing relevant permissions remains slow, despite UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying his country has always been “incredibly generous” with those in need of protection. On March 30, the Home Office said that only 2,700 visas had been granted under Homes for Ukraine.
Nevertheless, the sad reality for refugees does not end there. Ukrainian refugee camps need everything, including drinking water. Clothing needs are now sufficient and it is mainly food and medical shortages to be solved. “Catastrophe” is the most common word uttered by most volunteers returning from these camps. Poland and the countries bordering Ukraine can no longer support all this human misery on their own, and the EU must collectively do more for Ukrainian refugees.
A long-time Ukrainian friend of mine now evacuates children from the country’s hot spots and martyred cities to find them a safe place in Europe. Miss Ukraine Julia Gershun, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and member of the Red Cross, suggests that we create a global humanitarian platform to help Ukraine.
Together we have identified the main areas, including assistance to mothers and pregnant women; education of children; prosthetics for the injured; psychological and financial support; restoration of hospitals and schools; and construction of rehabilitation centers and other infrastructure.
We will create this structure hand in hand, which is one example among many of the resilience and courage of the Ukrainian people.
But this courage and resilience will expand if, and only if, the entire EU supports Ukraine.
Olivier VÉDRINE is a professor (h.c.), political scientist, journalist, writer, chief editor of Russian Monitor (https://rusmonitor.com/), and member of the Steering Committee of the Jean Monnet Association
