The mass exodus of Ukrainian refugees has created a humanitarian crisis in Europe unprecedented since the Second World War. More than 4 million people have fled to neighboring countries, and until Putin’s brutal war ends, millions more will continue to leave the country.
The flow of Ukrainian refugees exceeded the number of refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq in Europe in 2015, an influx that had destabilized European politics.
An impressive show of solidarity
Europe’s first reaction to the turmoil in Ukraine has been impressive in its demonstrations of solidarity, fueled by the sudden nature of this crisis. The refugees, most of whom are women and children – the men expected to remain on the front lines in Ukraine – were cared for and housed even as their numbers continued to grow.
But the magnitude of this crisis is beyond measure, and we are only at the beginning. Its management will require even more coordination, mobilization, funds and determination, both in Europe and in the United States and in the allied countries.
Existing refugee centers must receive even more resources, and refugees must be encouraged to settle in the countries best equipped to receive them. We must also prepare now for the return of the Ukrainians, if a lasting peace succeeds in establishing itself.
This welcome with open arms inevitably raises comparisons with the treatment of Syrians, Afghans and migrants from other countries. About 16,000 people are still in refugee camps in Greece, and many of them are hungry because they do not have the rights guaranteed to Ukrainians. But it is not because they are treated differently that the door should be closed to Ukrainians.
By comparison, almost a million Afghans, Syrians and Iraqis crossed the Mediterranean Sea to find refuge in Europe in 2015. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion on February 24, nearly one million people leave Ukraine every week.
A strategy of destabilization
Unless there is a peace agreement, Russia will continue to bomb civilian infrastructure. Ukraine will continue to fight for its survival. And 10 million people – nearly a quarter of Ukraine’s population – could well leave the country in the coming months.
In Poland, Moldova and Romania, cities need to reorganize, and schools, housing, hospitals and public assistance programs are under pressure.
Warsaw, a city of around 1.6 million people, now hosts more than 300,000 Ukrainian refugees, many of whom are sleeping in hastily set up accommodation centres. Overcrowded shelters for women and children are prime targets for human trafficking and mafias.
Refugees are not collateral damage from Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. The indiscriminate shelling and shelling of civilian infrastructure is part of a broader strategy, aimed at demoralizing civilians and pushing residents into neighboring countries, where their presence can be a destabilizing factor.
A strategy already implemented last year, during the episode at the border between Belarus and Poland, when Alexander Lukashenko, the autocratic leader of Belarus, fabricated a crisis by encouraging migrants to cross to Poland .
Avoid instrumentalization of refugees
Over time, support for Ukrainians is likely to turn into resentment. The people who started taking in the refugees could pressure their governments to force Ukraine to end the war by agreeing to Russia’s terms.
Relieving this pressure by supporting countries in solidarity with Ukraine is the best way to stop this instrumentalization of refugees.
The Council of the European Union has already taken an important step by adopting a directive granting temporary protection status to Ukrainian nationals and certain permanent residents in Ukraine, for a maximum period of one year.
While most Ukrainians could already travel without a visa to European Union countries for 90 days, this new measure gives them the right to reside in all EU countries, to be able to work and go to school, without having to go through the official asylum procedure.
But more needs to be done to relieve host countries and help refugees find alternatives to overcrowded accommodation centres. The UK program “Homes for Ukraine”which pays families and associations to take in refugees, has so far issued 2,700 visas, and Finland has opened its universities to 2,000 Ukrainians.
Bail out neighboring countries
These specific efforts are certainly important, but insufficient in view of the millions of displaced people.
The European Union has set up a platform to match offers of aid with requests from refugees. Seven countries, including Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, have pledged to take in 15,000 Ukrainians who are currently in Moldova. A very small fraction of the 98,000 Ukrainian refugees in this neighboring region of Romania, because many hesitate to leave this Russian-speaking country.
The European Union has also identified 17 billion euros in funds – earmarked for recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and programs to promote social and economic cohesion – which could be spent immediately on needs. urgent needs, including housing, education, health and childcare.
An EU proposal plans to allocate the bulk of these funds to countries hosting large numbers of refugees. Thus Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia would receive 45% additional funds.
Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Estonia – the Member States which received the largest number of Ukrainians relative to their population – would also benefit from this distribution in their favour.
Westerners need to coordinate better
This solidarity with people displaced by war is not confined to Europe. Canada, home to a large Ukrainian community, has agreed to accept an unlimited number of refugees and allow them to stay for at least two years. Even Japan, which has long been reluctant to accept refugees, has agreed to receive Ukrainians.
US President Joe Biden has announced that the United States is ready to welcome up to 100,000 people. It’s a good start, but the country has the means to mobilize more, especially since public opinion is very favorable to welcoming Ukrainian refugees.
The United States has played a big role in Ukraine in recent years, whether encouraging the Ukrainians to stand up to Russia, or persuading them to accept the abandonment of their nuclear arsenal after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a decision that many Ukrainians deeply regret today.
As the world enters a period of great instability, its leaders must understand the need to coordinate their efforts to provide dignified living conditions for all those fleeing war and other desperate situations.