Germany would accept refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine regardless of their nationality, German Interior Minister Nancy Pfizer told the weekly newspaper. Picture on Sunday.
“We want to save lives. It does not depend on the passport,” Faeser told the German newspaper.
More than a million people from Ukraine have moved to neighboring countries, the United Nations said on Thursday. That number is expected to reach 1.5 million on Sunday.
So far, about 787,300 people have taken refuge in Poland and about 30,000 in Germany, according to Polish and German authorities.
Faeser’s statement came amid reports, including from the United Nations, that non-white people were being treated racistly and xenophobically as they tried to leave Ukraine.
What did Faeser say?
“The vast majority of those who have fled are Ukrainian nationals. People from other countries who already had a permanent residence permit in Ukraine bring this status with them,” Pfizer said.
He explained that people leaving Ukraine would not have to go through a complicated asylum process, and said that current co-operation between European nations in ensuring the security and safety of Ukrainians was “historic”.
The European Union agreed on March 3 to approve temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees, while the government of US President Joe Biden also granted temporary protection to Ukrainians in the country.
The European Union directive does not cover students and foreign nationals, many of whom have now arrived safely in their home country.
The situation at the border seems to have eased somewhat since the first wave of refugees left Ukraine early last week, DW’s Frank Hoffman of a border checkpoint in Poland said.
The heavy traffic jam has shrunk and more people have been able to enter neighboring countries quickly, Hoffman said.
However, families remain separated, with people still finding refuge in shopping malls that have been converted into reception centers in Poland, for example.
In Berlin, with state centers already exhausted, hotel rooms and churches have been turned into shelters for those fleeing the war in Ukraine.
rm / sms (DPA, AFP, Reuters)
Add Comment