European Solidarity MP Ariev: Zelenskyy should bring back Mindich instead of talking about returning Ukrainian men from abroad
Volodymyr Ariev, a member of parliament from the European Solidarity faction, believes that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s statement about returning men of mobilisation age from Germany to Ukraine is political.
He said this in a comment to Censor.NET.
"This statement was made because the German leadership was at one time dissatisfied with Zelenskyy’s decision to open the borders for men aged 18–22. I have repeatedly been at meetings in the Bundestag where this was stated directly. They perceived it as populism and not a very appropriate move. I think Zelenskyy is now trying to smooth things over somehow. But I am convinced that he will not do anything to bring these men back," the MP said.
According to Ariev, Zelenskyy could set an example by bringing Timur Mindich back to Ukraine.
"If he cannot persuade his friend to return and serve, then what are we even talking about?! Or let him convince Yermak, Bakanov, or at least Leshchenko to go and serve. Overall, his words seem to me like an ‘excuse’ so that later, when he is asked, ‘Why was nothing done?’, he can say: ‘How was nothing done?! I at least tried — I even made the relevant statements!’ But in reality, he does not want to touch the issue of mobilisation," the politician noted.
He stressed that under European legislation, it would be very difficult to return men of conscription age.
"From the point of view of European law, if a person is fleeing war, this is not a criminal offence but a matter of morality. But that is morality for us — Ukrainians. For them, a person has the right to flee war, and certain conditions have even been created for this. Another matter is that the maximum Europeans can do is strip social benefits from men of conscription age who are fit for service and have no other restrictions. But attempts to forcibly send them to war would contradict the Human Rights Convention. The only way out is not administrative-criminal or coercive measures, but encouraging service in the Armed Forces. But this applies not only to those who have left, but also to those hiding from mobilisation. And in this case, Zelenskyy should not be making statements, but finally stop creating obstacles (I know for a fact that this is exactly what is happening now) and try to create new legislation that would make mobilisation not a scarecrow, but at least a mechanism with all the necessary safeguards that motivates fulfilling one’s constitutional duty. But so far, all this has stalled and is not moving forward. And so he is left making such statements so that people leave him alone. Because this situation with mobilisation is very unpleasant for him: he does not want to touch it because it does not bring political dividends or applause. And as Supreme Commander-in-Chief, he bears full responsibility for mobilisation. Sooner or later, he will be held accountable," the MP added.
Earlier, during a visit to Germany, Zelenskyy said that men of mobilisation age who had illegally left the country must return to Ukraine.
