SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Poland moves to phase out aid for Ukrainian refugees
Warsaw, Jan 20 (AFP) Jan 20, 2026
Poland's government on Tuesday moved to phase out assistance for Ukrainian refugees put in place when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, as public support for the aid wanes.

"After four years, the situation is more stable," Adam Szlapka, spokesman for Poland's pro-European government, said at a press conference.

"These extraordinary regulations can be phased out and we can move from temporary solutions to systemic ones."

The draft law, which will now go to parliament, says initial aid for Ukrainians was "adopted as an emergency, temporary measure".

It includes plans to repeal previous provisions creating a separate system of assistance for Ukrainians, and would eliminate most of their special entitlements to social benefits, accommodation and medical care.

Some existing protections, such as means of confirming legal residence and identity, will be retained.

Prior to its adoption by the government, the draft law drew criticism from business interests.

The Lewiatan Confederation, an NGO representing Polish entrepreneurs, argued the move "could paralyze the labour market".

In a press release, it said the protections have "enabled legal employment for around 1.24 million people", citing that Ukrainians currently account for 66 percent of Poland's foreign workforce.

Following the government's announcement, Lewiatan clarified that a new draft included "transitional demands" that would help to ease these impacts.

In 2024, Poland's Ukrainian workforce accounted for 2.7 percent of the country's GDP, amounting to more than the total Polish aid contribution.

Poland was the entry point for millions of Ukrainian refugees crossing into Europe at the invasion's outset, and remains a critical hub for the delivery of humanitarian and military aid.

But public opinion on Ukrainians in Poland has soured since the beginning of the war.

According to a January poll by Poland's Centre for Public Opinion Research, only 48 percent of Poles approve of helping Ukrainians fleeing the war, while 46 percent are opposed.

This is the lowest level of support since measurements began following Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Conservative-nationalist Polish President Karol Nawrocki has echoed this sentiment, announcing at the start of his term last year that he would not sign any "law concerning special assistance to Ukrainian citizens".


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Geomagnetic storm to bring northern lights to central US
Interstellar raises major Series F funding to expand launch and satellite business
Atomic 6 debris shields selected for Portal Space Systems mission

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Russia says US has not released crew from detained tanker
Inside China's buzzing AI scene year after DeepSeek shock
EU wants to keep Chinese suppliers out of critical infrastructure

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Almost half of Kyiv without heat, power, after Russian attack
Denmark proposes NATO surveillance mission for Greenland
Military aircraft to arrive in Greenland for 'long-planned' activities: US-Canadian command

24/7 News Coverage
Heavy snow in US strands drivers in 100-vehicle crash
Chile wildfires rage for third day, entire towns wiped out
Death toll from floods rises in Mozambique, South Africa



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.