Germany’s Merz Urges Zelensky to Curb Outflow of Young Ukrainian Men as Migration Pressure Rises

Germany asks Ukraine to keep young men at home amid migration concerns

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has urged President Volodymyr Zelensky to discourage increasing numbers of young Ukrainian men from travelling to Germany, saying they are needed to defend their homeland. The request came during a phone call in which Mr Merz — who took office in May — pressed Kyiv to limit departures of men of fighting age.

Changes in Kyiv: After Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine introduced martial law and restricted the movement of men aged 18–60 across its land borders. In August, President Zelensky announced revisions that now allow Ukrainian men under 23 to travel abroad and lowered the conscription threshold from 27 to 25 amid manpower shortages at the front.

“I asked the Ukrainian president to ensure that young men, from Ukraine in particular, do not come to Germany in ever-increasing numbers, but rather serve in their own country. They are needed there,” Mr Merz said.

Those relaxed rules have coincided with almost 100,000 young Ukrainian men leaving the country — a figure larger than the roughly 70,000 personnel in the British Army — with many travelling to Germany via Poland. The influx has created a rare diplomatic strain between Berlin and Kyiv and fuelled domestic concerns in Germany about migration and public order.

German domestic response

Mr Merz faces pressure to show he can keep migration under control after campaigning on stricter border policies. Germany’s governing coalition recently passed a national service law that calls up 18-year-old men for compulsory medical examinations to encourage voluntary enlistment. The legislation also includes a provision allowing limited conscription if volunteer recruitment falls short, though details on implementation were not yet provided.

Since Russia’s invasion on 24 February 2022, Germany has taken in more than 1.2 million refugees from Ukraine. That large influx has helped boost support for the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD), which finished an unprecedented second in last February’s federal elections.

Repatriation plans for Syrian refugees

To further address migration, Mr Merz’s coalition has proposed a so-called repatriation offensive aimed at encouraging — and where authorities deem necessary, forcing — Syrian refugees to return, arguing that the civil war in Syria has subsided. Mr Merz said a “very large proportion” of Germany’s one-million-strong Syrian community would be willing to go back and added that those who refuse might face deportation in future. Critics warn that repatriation raises complex legal and humanitarian issues and will require careful, case-by-case assessment.

Context: The diplomatic exchange highlights the tension between supporting Ukraine’s defence needs and managing migration pressures in EU states. Berlin is attempting to balance solidarity with Ukraine against domestic political pressures to control borders and public services.