"They are counting their money": Zelenskyy says governments of several countries asked him to "take away" unemployed Ukrainians

Foreign governments want to get rid of Ukrainian refugees who do not work but receive social benefits because they do not pay taxes. Instead, the Ukrainian government wants to return both the former and the latter, but to do so, it needs to provide them with jobs and security.

This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the national telethon "United News". But this requires improving the security situation inside the country and providing reliable protection for those who decide to return.

"They differentiated Ukrainians. I'm sorry, but this is how it is – I have all these conversations with them. They count their money, how much they spend annually to support Ukrainians abroad. They talk about those Ukrainians who do not work: "Take them away," the president says.

According to Zelenskyy, Western leaders and representatives of their governments are afraid to publicly voice this position. "But I will return everyone, not (only) those who do not work for you," he emphasized.

The Head of State is ready to call all Ukrainian refugees back to their homeland if the country's partners provide "a little more air defense." He is confident that a large part of those who left are ready to return after the hot phase of the war is over. This will be facilitated by the large-scale reconstruction of Ukraine and the flow of large amounts of money to businesses, both from frozen Russian assets and by cutting military spending from the budget.

"People will come to work... Large projects like the restoration of Ukraine will be supported by a large number of jobs. These should be Ukrainians, I think, first of all, they will be Ukrainians," Zelenskyy emphasized.

According to the UNHCR, as of December 16, 2024, there are 6.814 million Ukrainian refugees abroad, of which 6.254 million are in Europe. This figure increased by 28 thousand people in a month. However, as of October 31, Eurostat counted 4.2 million Ukrainian citizens with temporary protection status in the European Union, most of them in Germany (1.14 million people), Poland (983.88 thousand), and the Czech Republic (379.37 thousand).

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, in 2025, Ukraine is indeed planning to launch a project to return citizens from abroad to reintegrate them into the economy and defense sector. The initiative, which will be part of the activities of the newly created Ministry of National Unity, is intended to facilitate the reintegration of citizens into the social, economic, and defense life of the country. According to the Minister of National Unity Oleksandr Kamyshyn, the project's goal is not only to return people home but also to engage them in key areas, including the defense industry.

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