Ukraine's defense minister wants Ukrainians living in Germany to move in
"We send them an invitation and it is then their right to come and serve," the minister continued. He also made it clear that there would be penalties for those who did not comply with the invitation. "We are still discussing what should happen if they do not come voluntarily." It is "not a punishment to stand up for your country and serve it. It is an honor."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said on Tuesday that the country's army leadership had proposed mobilizing "450,000 to 500,000" Ukrainians for the war against Russia. Selensky has recently been traveling to several Western countries, including the USA, to campaign for further military and political support for Ukraine.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, 1,133,000 people from Ukraine were living in Germany as of September 30 of this year - almost 409,000 of them male. However, this figure is likely to include a significant proportion of Ukrainians who are not of military age: 29% of Ukrainians in Germany were under the age of 18.
According to Destatis, women and children are "disproportionately represented" among the Ukrainians newly registered in Germany since the start of the war in February 2022. 63% of those who have immigrated since then are women, while 34% were under the age of majority when they arrived in Germany.
In the interview with "Bild", "Welt TV" and "Politico", Ukrainian Defense Minister Umerov expressed optimism that the USA will continue to support Ukraine in the coming year: "Both sides in Congress support the cause. And they also understand that the forces of evil want to change the world order."
He does not believe "that the USA will pull out", said the minister. He justified his optimism with the constant consultations with partners: "They make us all confident that we can stick to our plans."
The leaders of the US Senate admitted on Tuesday that Congress will not approve any new military aid for Ukraine this year. The background to this is resistance from opposition Republicans to further aid for Kiev. US President Joe Biden had asked Congress in October for new Ukraine aid amounting to around 61 billion dollars (just under 56 billion euros).
Read also:
- This will change in December
- Attacks on ships in the Red Sea: shipping companies avoid important trade route
- Houthi rebels want to launch further attacks despite international coalition
- USA forms military coalition against Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea
Source: www.stern.de
