Ukraine wants EU to stop aid for refugees, ban consular services for draft-age men to encourage return home

The Ukrainian parliament has also approved in the first reading the recognition of dual citizenship, which was previously banned, and the creation of the Ministry of National Unity.

Sociologist Olga Pyshchulina from the Razumkov Center think tank notes that the return of refugees will depend on certain conditions being met, including safety and stable economic and social opportunities. Refugees also expect quality education and healthcare systems.

Some refugees are reluctant to return due to high rental costs, the breakdown of relationships after prolonged separation, and feeling like outsiders compared to those who stayed and experienced the war.

According to a UNHCR study published in November, 61% of refugees still hope to return when the situation improves. Data from the Polish central bank shows that 39% of refugees in Poland want to stay longer or permanently, while this figure rises to 61% in the last group. Reasons for returning include the inability to find suitable jobs, a lack of belonging, and the presence of elderly parents and other relatives in Ukraine.

Ukrainian journalist and migration researcher at the Warsaw-based Vistula University Olena Babakova suggests that the government could consider measures used in other countries to encourage returns, such as tax exemptions for the first three years, mortgage subsidies, and educational grants. 

"However, these measures will have a minimal effect. In fact, it is more productive to focus on immigration policy, on how to attract economic migrants from third countries," she said.

Ukraine needs between 3.1 and 4.5 million workers by 2032 to achieve annual economic growth rates of 7%. Post-war reconstruction will require $411 billion, which is 2.5 times Ukraine's pre-war GDP. The birth rate has declined since Ukraine's independence in 1991, leading to a demographic gap in the population pyramid for those under 35, which is now deepening as this cohort reaches childbearing age.

The demographic strategy adopted in September acknowledges that between 1.3 and 3.3 million people may not return. The document states, "The longer the armed aggression continues, the smaller the share of those who were forced to leave Ukraine may return."

In November, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented an internal resilience plan to the parliament, which includes the creation of the Ministry of Unity of Ukrainians. The main task of this ministry is to support Ukrainian communities abroad, strengthen their ties with Ukraine, and protect common national interests.

The Verkhovna Rada appointed Oleksiy Chernyshov as the Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of National Unity. 

Subsequently, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the decision to rename the Ministry of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories to the Ministry of National Unity of Ukraine.