Deputy FM Betsa outlines key conditions for return of Ukrainian families from abroad

A number of conditions must be created to ensure the return of Ukrainian families currently staying abroad, while at the same time it is already necessary to support Ukrainian children in preserving their identity while overseas.

This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by Mariana Betsa, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

“For us, of course, it is important that children who were forced to leave due to the war and seek refuge in other countries return, because this is our country and our nation,” the deputy minister said.

At the same time, she stressed that specific conditions must be created to facilitate return, including security, access to housing, education, and employment opportunities for parents.

“These are the four basic conditions that must be met for families to return together with their children. But, of course, safety comes first,” Betsa noted.

She also emphasized that preserving the identity of Ukrainian children abroad is currently extremely important for Ukraine.

“On the one hand, the occupiers are erasing the identity of our children in Russia and in temporarily occupied territories, while on the other hand, assimilation is happening very quickly among children who have found refuge with their families in other countries, including EU member states,” she explained, adding that children may gradually forget their language, history, and culture.

“So now, if not physically, then at least intellectually, we need to bring back our people, youth, and children. And here education is extremely important. Therefore, support for Saturday and Sunday Ukrainian schools operating in various countries is crucial for preserving the identity of Ukrainian children,” Mariana Betsa said.

As previously reported, after a recent high-level Ukraine–EU dialogue on education and skills, European Commission Vice President Roxana Mînzatu said that EU support includes creating conditions for quality education for Ukrainian children in host countries, as well as facilitating their return.