President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the introduction of a draft law that will allow people with Ukrainian citizenship to also hold citizenship in other nations, except for citizens of the Russian Federation.
The new multiple citizenship law will allow foreigners fighting for Ukraine and the ethnic Ukrainian diaspora to hold a Kyiv-issued passport without renouncing their citizenship elsewhere. The sole exception is “except for citizens of the aggressor country.”
During his address on the Day of Unity, Zelensky said: “Everyone who has Ukrainian blood in their veins and a free heart beating in their chest. Ukrainians by origin, who have long proven that they are Ukrainians in spirit. And after many years of waiting, they should finally become Ukrainians by passport.”
“Today I am submitting to the Verkhovna Rada a key draft law that will allow the adoption of comprehensive legislative amendments and the introduction of multiple citizenship,” Zelensky said.
According to Zelensky, the adoption of the law will allow all ethnic Ukrainians and their descendants, who “during various emigration waves, were forced to leave their homeland and ended up in Europe, the United States, Canada, countries of Asia and Latin America,” as well as “foreign volunteers who took up arms to defend Ukraine, all those who fight for Ukraine’s freedom” to obtain Ukrainian citizenship.
“All those who help us despite being hundreds and thousands of kilometers away from their homeland…” Zelensky said. “All those who fight for Ukraine’s freedom as if it were their homeland. And Ukraine will become such for them. For everyone who can feel that ‘being in Ukraine’ means ‘being at home’ – not as tourists, but as citizens. Citizens of a great, united, single Ukraine.”
On VE Remembrance Day
Zelensky also signed the Decree “On the Territories of the Russian Federation Historically Inhabited by Ukrainians.”
About the decree, he said: “We must take steps not only to strengthen the unity of Ukraine and our people, but also to act for the unity of rights and freedoms, the truth about Ukrainians, the truth about us, and the truth about our history.
“This is the restoration of truth about the historical past for the sake of Ukraine’s future.”
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Comments (5)
It doesn’t go far enough. Millions of retirees from America, Britain and elsewhere are looking to live in countries with a lower cost of living. Granting permanent residence to those folks, would bring hard currency into Ukraine and increase the tax revenues that Ukraine needs. If they volunteer in support roles it would be an added bonus.
My Tato (father) was born & raised in Yaroviv, L’Viv Oblast. His Tato was an ordained Roman Catholic Priest whose parish was in one of the old wooden churches. Tato’s brother died in a famous battle where Ukrainians faced Nazi panzers down while on horseback with sabers. I never met them. Tato (& they) lived through Stalin, the Holodomor, & Hitler, escaped to Poland, then Innsbruck, married, got pregnant with me, then later arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA. My Tato took my brother & me to Ukraine in the early 1990’s, where I felt home, got to see home in my Tato’s eyes, feel it in his spirit. I will be honored to be a citizen of Ukraine when this comes to be, & offer all I have come to know & be to Ukraine, my Tato’s & family homeland.
On this day, Recalling my late friend and colleague STAN (Zhdan+) born in a DP Camp in Austria, 1945, , whose family were from Lviv Oblast, forced out because Father was an anti-Communist; settled in Buenos Aires, then Manhattan and Brooklyn in NYCity US. R.I.P.+
It would be nice to extend this to foreign humanitarian aid workers too.
YAY!!
@Sushko, Yes indeed. I am envious.
#StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦
#FightLikeUkrainians 🇺🇦 💪
To paraphrase the supporters of Spartacus, *_I am Ukrainian!_* 🇺🇦
#WeAreUkraine 💪
Все це Україна! 👍
Слава нації!