EU support for Ukrainians may last until 2027: Details
Protection for Ukrainians in the EU may be extended until 2027 (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
The European Union intends to extend temporary protection for Ukrainian citizens until March 2027. The decision may be made during the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting, which will take place on June 12–13 in Luxembourg, states Ukraine’s Ambassador to the EU, Vsevolod Chentsov.
According to him, the current mechanism of temporary protection for Ukrainians in the EU will be extended until March 2027.
“We expect that the EU Council will extend temporary protection for Ukrainians, and we assume that this extension will be until March 2027,” Chentsov said.
The ambassador noted that the European Commission's decision was influenced by the security situation in Ukraine, which, unfortunately, is not improving.
“It’s important to consider that about half of the Ukrainians under temporary protection in the EU are women, and around a third are children — that is, vulnerable groups. The EU, the European Commission, and the member states are treating this situation responsibly,” he explained.
He also mentioned that, in parallel, there is an ongoing discussion in the European Union about what to do in two years when the Temporary Protection Directive expires. That is why Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for National Unity, Oleksii Chernyshov, will visit Brussels next week.
He will talk with the European Commissioner for Migration, Magnus Brunner, and other European officials specifically on finding a common approach to this issue.
“We will raise the question of how the European Commission and member states will assist in the return of our citizens — those who are ready to return — if the security situation allows it,” Chentsov said.
Following consultations with the Ukrainian side, the European Commission is expected to communicate its vision of how the EU Temporary Protection Directive may be concluded after March 2027.
The issue of extending protection for Ukrainian refugees is included on the agenda of the European Commission meeting. However, the duration of the possible extension is not specified.
According to the European Commission, the number of recipients of temporary protection in the EU was around 4.3 million as of January 2025. It is expected that this number will remain stable throughout 2025 and then decrease to 4.1 million by the end of 2025 and to 3.8 million by the end of 2026.
