Polish Defense Ministry offers to assist Kyiv in returning men of conscription age to Ukraine

Poland is ready to help Ukraine return men who are subject to mobilization to the country, Polish Minister of Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said on the Polsat News TV channel.

According to the official, Poles are "outraged" when they see young Ukrainian men in cafes and constantly hear about how much effort they have to make to help Ukraine.

"I am not surprised that the Ukrainian authorities will do everything to provide the front with new soldiers, because the needs are huge. There are thousands and thousands of soldiers who have been there since the outbreak of the war," he said.

The defense minister noted that Poland has considered also helping the Ukrainian side to return conscripts to the country.

Asked whether Poland will agree to a possible request from Ukraine to return those citizens who will not be extended the right to stay in Poland, Kosiniak-Kamysz said that "everything is possible."

Since April 23, the provision of consular services to Ukrainian men abroad has been suspended. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated that this was done on his instructions and that the men's stay abroad does not release them from their duties to the motherland.

Subsequently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that consular services for Ukrainians abroad were temporarily limited in order to coordinate the documentation with the new law on mobilization.

On April 24, the Cabinet of Ministers banned sending foreign passports and passports of citizens of Ukraine outside the country for men aged 18 to 60. Subsequently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that the resolution applies only to documents issued by the State Migration Service, in particular, by the state-owned enterprise Dokument.