Lithuania vows to follow in Poland’s footsteps when it comes to the conscription of military-age Ukrainian men living abroad, Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas has said.
His comment came after Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said Warsaw was ready to help Kyiv bring back military-age men.
“Of course, we’ll still need the Interior Ministry’s position on this, but I think this is the right way. Let’s see if they can come up with a solution that will be suitable for Lithuania,” Kasčiūnas told reporters on Thursday.
He says Poland might restrict social benefits for Ukrainians, as well as the issuance of work permits and other documents. However, Ukrainians will not be detained and deported en masse, he pointed out.
“Ukraine is very short of mobilisation reserve – those military-age citizens who have left the country. This is not fair to those citizens who are fighting for their country,” the defence minister said, adding that the number of military-age Ukrainian men residing in Lithuania is small.
To encourage military-age men living abroad to return home, Ukraine has stopped issuing new passports to some of them.
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