UWC Vice President: Multiple citizenship eases the path home

Multiple citizenship is not just a symbolic move — it’s a practical tool to help bring Ukrainians back home, said Volodymyr Kogutyak, UWC Vice President for Western Europe and Association of Ukrainians in France (AUF) Vice President, in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Kogutyak said that, beyond its many benefits, a law allowing multiple citizenship could send a clear signal that Ukraine is ready to welcome its people back to their homeland.

“We are grateful to the Verkhovna Rada for passing this bill — it gives us a foundation to work toward encouraging Ukrainians to eventually return home,” he said.

The repatriation of Ukrainians is one of the Ukrainian World Congress’s key priorities.

“When we talk about Ukrainians coming back, we don’t mean only those who left after the full-scale invasion began. We’re also talking about those who moved to France, the U.S., and other countries many years ago,” Kogutyak said.

It’s critically important that these people have an incentive and have opportunities awaiting them when they return, and that the Ukrainian state is ready to receive them in a full-fledged way, he said.

“But to make that happen, the Ukrainian World Congress needs actual tools. We can’t just say, ‘Please come back.’ We need to demonstrate that Ukraine truly wants them to return. And multiple citizenship is one of the most effective tools we have,” Kogutyak said.