President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky believes that men of military age who are abroad should return to Ukraine. At the same time, the head of state acknowledged that the issue of their return remains complicated due to various circumstances of departure and the consequences of prolonged family separation.
Zelensky said this on November 11 during a joint press conference with Prime Minister of Ireland Micheál Martin in Dublin.
“If they are of military age, I would, of course, like them to be in Ukraine. And, of course, we would very much like them to return. But, again, this is a very complex issue, because there are many different reasons why people left,” — the president said.
Zelensky reminded that at the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, millions of Ukrainians were forced to leave their homes. A significant part of families were separated: men remained in Ukraine, including at the front, while women with children went abroad.
According to the head of state, prolonged separation seriously affected Ukrainian families. Some of them have dissolved over the years of war, which further complicates the issue of the return of citizens.
The president stressed that the circumstances of Ukrainians’ departure vary significantly, so the situation cannot be regarded the same for all men staying outside the country.
Thus, Zelensky confirmed Ukraine’s interest in the return of men of military age, but at the same time acknowledged the complexity of this process. No concrete new mechanisms for the return of citizens or decisions on their mandatory return were announced during the press conference.
