Senator Warns France of Risks to Ukrainian Refugees
The French Senate is calling for a review of the approach to temporary protection for Ukrainians so that they can receive support without losing their ties to Ukraine or the possibility of returning home. Senator Nadia Sologub emphasizes that the current rules effectively push people toward refugee status and complicate their future return.
France must change the temporary protection mechanism for Ukrainians so that people can remain under state protection and receive necessary assistance, while at the same time not losing their legal and personal ties to Ukraine and not being forced to seek refugee status. This was stated by Nadia Sologub, Chair of the “France–Ukraine” Friendship Group in the Senate, emphasizing that this concerns not only social guarantees but also the future return of Ukrainians home.
According to her, the current system is not working perfectly and needs to be changed, as many Ukrainians find themselves in a situation where they are forced to apply for refugee status, which increases the number of applications but does not address their actual needs. She also pointed out that the requirement to surrender Ukrainian passports as part of the procedures is illegal, and government agencies have no grounds to retain documents even from those who have sought protection.
“Ukrainians should be able to retain temporary protection status while simultaneously receiving assistance for adults with disabilities, as well as other rights in the appropriate format. And this would not cost France any more,” Sologub explained, emphasizing that the legislative initiative has already been supported by the Senate but has not yet been considered by the National Assembly.
She noted that the process is effectively stalled at the decision-making stage, even as the problem grows, and more and more Ukrainians are forced to switch to other legal statuses due to the lack of a flexible temporary protection mechanism. “If we truly want to help Ukraine, we must think about tomorrow. Who will rebuild Ukraine tomorrow? If we block people here, forcing them to seek asylum, no one will return tomorrow,” the senator emphasized, adding that Ukraine will need its citizens for post-war reconstruction.
In her view, the main idea should be not to close the path back for people and not to create a situation in which temporary protection effectively turns into permanent migration, as this affects not only the lives of Ukrainians in Europe but also the future of Ukraine itself.
Kirill Budanov stated that Russia is gradually building a closed information system within the country, restricting the internet and access to foreign services, and explained this as preparation for making unpopular decisions.
