"This falls under jurisdiction of foreign states," "Servant of People" Merezhko comments on reports that Ukrainian women in EU may be required to present Reserve+
The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation has not considered the possible verification of Ukrainians’ military registration status when they apply for temporary protection in European countries, including a requirement for women to present Reserve+.
Oleksandr Merezhko, an MP from the Servant of the People faction and chair of the Committee, said this in a comment to Censor.NET.
Position of the Verkhovna Rada Committee
"This falls under the jurisdiction of another foreign state. It determines the rules. Unfortunately, there is not much we can do to influence this. In theory, there could be some kind of interstate agreement. Perhaps our diplomats could communicate with these countries delicately and not necessarily publicly to protect the interests of our citizens. But it would be better not to make this public," he said.
The MP explained that Ukraine similarly determines who may enter the country and under what conditions.
"No one can compel us here. If citizens of another country wanted to enter our territory, could another state force us to admit them? Hardly. This is our exclusive jurisdiction. The only thing it could do is make an official request and propose concluding some kind of bilateral international agreement," the Committee chair added.
Merezhko said he was surprised that Ukrainian women abroad could be required to present Reserve+.
"In general, in my opinion, it is rather problematic to require foreigners to provide their domestic documents written in a foreign language. Such documents usually exist for domestic use, meaning within the state. As a rule, if a foreign document is required, it is translated into the relevant foreign language and notarised," the politician noted.
Background
As previously reported, the Council of the European Union officially extended the temporary protection mechanism for Ukrainians who left because of the full-scale war until 4 March 2028. At the same time, the decision introduces new conditions for certain categories of applicants, including persons liable for military service.
In particular, temporary protection will not be granted to individuals who cannot confirm that they have fulfilled their military obligations under Ukrainian law. The decision entered into force on 5 August 2026.
