“In 1991, we were 52 million in Ukraine. Today, the territory is under the control of the Ukrainian government is just over 30. According to the UN, if nothing is changed, the Ukrainian population can be reduced to 15 million by the end of the century.”, – WRITE: www.pravda.com.ua
Recognize reality We have been losing people for decades. Due to war, emigration, economic difficulties. But at the same time, we have a huge community of Ukrainians abroad – more than 25 million. Among them are those who left in the 1990s, those who left the country after February 24, and those who never had a Ukrainian passport, but know who he remembers family stories, prepares borscht and teaches children to sing “Oh in the Mad Red Viburnum”.
Today we are faced with the choice: either recognize this reality and use it as a chance for national recovery and confrontation with geopolitical challenges, or voluntarily cut off some of ourselves. Against 140 million is better is 60 than 15. If we want to have a true force, should stay together, regardless of geography. It is in this sense that multiple citizenship is a matter of national security.
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International communities of Ukrainians are waiting for a response During each meeting with the Ukrainian community abroad, the issue of multiple citizenship sounds one of the first. And every time the answer is that we are working on it, not a dispute, but a gratitude. Because for people, it is a direct evidence that the state sees, hears and recognizes its. He also understands their real needs.
Our position is clear: multiple citizenship does not imply it with aggressor countries. But to give up millions of your own means to voluntarily reduce the nation. If a person wants to remain Ukrainian and convey this connection to his children, he or she must get this opportunity. And we have to provide it – without unnecessary barriers and stress.
It’s not about politics is about people In today’s world, being Ukrainian is more than being born in Ukraine or having a Ukrainian passport. It’s about a community that shares common values. The state that recognizes this reality and gives people the tools to remain part of the nation is stronger than that limits the connection of the rules of the past.
Multiple citizenship is not about “distributing passports to all”, as some believe. It is an opportunity to maintain legal, emotional and cultural connection with Ukrainians around the world. About the right not to choose between the Motherland and the new country of life. About the chance to remain part of the Ukrainian community, even if you live thousands of kilometers from Kiev, Kharkiv or Lviv.
Already today, more than 130 countries, including most countries in the European Union, recognize multiple citizenship. These are Germany, France, Canada, Poland, Israel, the USA, the United Kingdom and many others. In these states, the Institute of Multiple Citizenship has long become part of the policy of unity, trust and respect for their citizens – wherever they are.
A difficult choice It should be understood that millions of Ukrainians abroad – both those who left recently through the war and those who left the country a decade ago – are faced with a difficult choice. In new countries, they work, study, create families. After a while, it is possible to obtain citizenship – it gives a broader rights, stability, social protection.
But the current Ukrainian legislation does not allow to have a second passport. And even if such a step seems practical and logical, many perceive it as a risk – to lose a formal connection with Ukraine. That is why multiple citizenship gives a way to maintain belonging to the Ukrainian nation to those who seek it – regardless of their place of residence.
Multiple citizenship is beneficial to every Ukrainian – both in Ukraine and abroad Ukraine is critical of people. To double GDP after the war, we need at least 4.5 million workers. Every Ukrainian who returns or maintains a connection with the state is a contribution to a joint restoration.
In 2024, according to the NBU, the volume of private transfers to Ukraine from abroad amounted to almost $ 10 billion. For comparison, it is twice as much as the exports of metals and products, and almost three times more than all exports of machines, equipment and transport for the same period.
Such figures are not just statistics. This is a real contribution of millions of Ukrainians who support the country’s economy every year. Another argument in favor of the connection with people abroad should not be lost, but strengthening.
This is our chance for a new unity Multiple citizenship is not just a legal instrument. It is part of national responsibility. For those who stayed. For those who return. For those who feel Ukrainian all their lives, have parents of Ukrainians, will be born with a Ukrainian name, but in another time zone.
We have to give these children and their parents a tool that will remain part of Ukraine. Then in a while they will say: “I am a Ukrainian. I am a Ukrainian.” Not only in the soul, but also in civil status.
Someone lives between several countries. Someone is between several languages. But the heart is one. And if there is Ukraine in this heart, we as a state must do everything so that this connection does not break.
Alexei Chernyshov, Viceremier-Minister-Minister of National Unity of Ukraine
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