Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Countries That Welcome Ukraine’s Refugees


Mon 28 Feb 2022 | 11:30 PM
Omnia Ahmed

Over half a million civilians fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion of the country, according to the UN.

The European Union (EU) estimates that up to 4 million people may try to leave the country following the Russian invasion, affirming that its member states will welcome the refugees with "open arms".

Hence, here is the list of countries that have welcomed Ukraine's refugees so far.

Hungary 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Europe's leading anti-migrant politician, affirmed that Hungary was accepting all citizens and legal residents of Ukraine.

"We're letting everyone in," Orbán said.

Nearly 80,000 Ukrainians have crossed into Hungary, according to the border police.

Moldova  

More than 70,000 refugees from Ukraine have entered Moldova in the last few days, according to the press service for the Moldovan Interior Ministry on Sunday.

"Last night, 3,423 Ukrainian citizens entered the Republic of Moldova. All border crossings with Ukraine are operating. Increased passenger traffic is observed at the Palanca-Maiaky-Udobne, Tudora-Starokazache and Otaci-Mohyliv-Podilsky checkpoints. At these checkpoints there are many kilometers of queues from the Ukrainian side, the waiting time is ten hours or more," the statement said.

Poland

Poland was one of the first countries that declared its border open to fleeing Ukrainians -- even those without official documents -- and even dropped its requirement to show a negative COVID-19 test.

The Polish government said Saturday that more than 100,000 Ukrainians had crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border in the past 48 hours alone.

Romania  

On Saturday, Romania's border post was crowded with Ukrainians, and humanitarian groups set up tents a few miles in, offering food and drink to those arriving.

"The feeling is like you are in a train station," Euronews reporter Claudiu Popa said. "Everybody is coming, everybody is leaving, everybody is going somewhere."

Slovakia

Slovakia declared a state of emergency Saturday morning due to the mass influx of foreigners caused by the war. Therefore, the government approved an infrastructure bill of 13 billion euros to strengthen the Ukrainian border infrastructure and complete asylum facilities.

Brussels

In Brussels, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson asserted that the border was also open to people from third countries who lived in Ukraine and wanted to travel on to their home countries.

"Those people must be helped. Moreover, those in need of protection in the EU can also apply for asylum," Johansson stressed.

Serbia

Although it has not imposed sanctions on Russia, Serbia's President Aleksandar Vučić said that it "supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine" and that its willing to assist in any humanitarian efforts.