UWC President: Multiple citizenship is a security issue for Ukraine

During the “Exploring Multiple Citizenship: Opportunities and Risks” discussion organized by the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC), UWC President Paul Grod highlighted multiple citizenship as a strategic tool for re-engaging millions of Ukrainians abroad with their homeland. Paul Grod emphasized that this policy would prevent the assimilation of citizens living abroad and create new opportunities for them to participate in Ukraine’s civic and national activities, underscoring its significance as a security concern for Ukraine.

“Currently, there are millions of Ukrainians abroad. We don’t want our citizens to face a choice regarding citizenship. There is a risk that they might lose their Ukrainian citizenship, which means losing the opportunity to return to Ukraine,” continued the UWC President.

The UWC firmly supports the principle of one-class citizenship. “It is important for Ukrainians abroad to fully engage in economic, political, and social life to help rebuild Ukraine,” emphasized Paul Grod.

At the same time, it is crucial to establish safeguards and clear conditions for obtaining a Ukrainian passport to avoid admitting citizens from unfriendly countries. The UWC President also highlighted the need to introduce a language test for those wishing to acquire citizenship.

The UWC supports language and Ukrainian studies exams as requirements for citizenship, which will serve as safeguards against the misuse of Ukrainian citizenship.

Citizenship is one of the foundations of nation-building, and multiple citizenship is an additional tool in this process, noted Volodymyr Viatrovych, a Ukrainian MP and discussion participant.

Viatrovych stated that discussing such a law without the UWC is impossible. “It is critically important to involve the global Ukrainian community in these processes. Nothing about the diaspora without the diaspora is absolutely the right principle,” emphasized the MP.

The draft law introduced by President Zelenskyy to the Verkhovna Rada is the first step towards implementing multiple citizenship, said Iryna Kovalevska, First Deputy Head of the State Migration Service, and a discussion participant. “This is the first step towards forming a tolerant attitude of civil society and Ukrainians towards the institution of multiple citizenship,” noted the official.

“For me, the passport and the trident on it represent value and respect for the country. Multiple citizenship is not just about political nation-building but also about state security,” emphasized Solomiia Bobrovska, a Ukrainian MP and discussion participant.

You can read the UWC’s position on multiple citizenship here.