Polish President moves to cut benefits for Ukrainian refugees

Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki has proposed limiting Ukrainian refugees' access to child benefits and healthcare, while also calling for a ban on glorifying nationalist leader Stepan Bandera.

Poland has hosted around 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but increasing frustration among the Polish public has led to calls for stricter policies.

Nawrocki, who made nationalistic pledges during his election campaign, stated that benefits should only be available to Ukrainians who work in Poland. He also expressed that healthcare should be provided on similar terms.

Ukrainian refugees are currently eligible to receive the monthly family benefit of 800 zlotys ($219) per child if their children attend Polish schools. 

In addition to the proposed cuts, Nawrocki introduced a bill to ban the promotion of Stepan Bandera, a Ukrainian nationalist leader.

Bandera is a contentious figure, seen by Ukrainians as a hero of resistance but regarded in Poland as responsible for anti-Polish violence during the 1940s.

The new law would equate Bandera’s symbols with Nazi and Soviet communist symbols, punishable by up to three years in prison.

Nawrocki’s proposals are likely to face opposition from the government, led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a pro-European Union centrist.

The tension between the two branches of government could lead to a political deadlock, complicating Poland’s approach to the refugee issue and its relationship with Ukraine.

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News Politics Poland Ukraine