"German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has joined calls from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party Christian Social Union (CSU), to reduce the influx of young Ukrainian men into Germany. In a phone call last Thursday, Merz urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to "ensure that young Ukrainians in particular" do not "come to Germany in increasing numbers." Instead, they are expected to serve in their homeland, where they are needed, he said in Berlin."
"Markus Soeder, Bavarian Prime Minister and head of the CSU, was the first high-ranking German politician to make similar comments. In an interview with the German tabloid Bild, Soeder called on the EU and the German government to put pressure on Kyiv to "control and significantly reduce" the influx of young men fleeing Russia's war of aggression to Germany. The CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann also made similar comments."
"In late August, Kyiv allowed young men aged 18 to 22 to leave the country. Previously, this was not permitted, even though this age group is not drafted into the Ukrainian army. According to the German Interior Ministry, the number of weekly arrivals in this age group rose from 19 in mid-August to 1400 to 1800 in late October. In total, more than 1.2 million refugees from Ukraine live in Germany."
CDU and CSU leaders call for a reduction in arrivals of young Ukrainian men to Germany and urge Kyiv to restrict departures. Chancellor Friedrich Merz asked President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to ensure young Ukrainians do not come to Germany in increasing numbers and to remain where they are needed. Bavaria’s Markus Söder and other CDU figures want the EU and Berlin to pressure Kyiv to control and significantly reduce the influx. Kyiv permitted men aged 18–22 to leave in late August, and weekly arrivals from that group rose sharply by late October. The SPD has not taken a firm position.
Read at www.dw.com
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