Poland will no longer help Ukrainian refugees

On Monday, Poland's new nationalist president made a strong gesture; veto a bill to extend aid to Ukrainian refugees.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki has proposed helping only employed Ukrainian refugees living in Poland. Speaking to the press, he explained that this assistance "should be reserved only for Ukrainians who are committed to working in Poland." He firmly stated that he "would not change my mind."

According to Nawrocki, Ukrainian refugees who do not have jobs in Poland should no longer be able to benefit from free medical coverage, "because this puts us in a situation where Polish citizens, in their own country, are treated worse than our Ukrainian guests."

This decision was strongly condemned by Donald Tusk's pro-European government. "You cannot punish someone for losing a job - especially not innocent children. This is the ABC of human decency," declared Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, the Polish Minister of Labour, on X (formerly Twitter).

The Bill

Proposed by the Tusk government and adopted by Parliament, the bill aimed to extend the benefits received by children of Ukrainian refugees living in Poland, reports the media outlet 20 Minutes. While the current law will expire by the end of September, the new one was supposed to guarantee the extension of benefits until March 2026.

(MH with Manon Pierre - Source : 20 Minutes - Illustration : ©Unsplash)