Ukrainian ambassador criticises Bavarian official's call to abolish social benefits for Ukrainian refugees

Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Oleksii Makeiev has commented on Minister-President of Bavaria Markus Söder’s call to cancel Bürgergeld (from German – money for citizens) social benefits for Ukrainian refugees.

Makeiev said on Deutschlandfunk radio on Söder’s statements about the need to deprive Ukrainian refugees of Bürgergeld are "difficult to understand".

The ambassador added that "the problem with financial aid is not because of Ukrainians" and called on Germans not to scapegoat them.

Earlier, Söder called for the abolition of Bürgergeld payments for Ukrainian refugees. These benefits are granted to those seeking employment or whose income is insufficient for self-support.

The official believes that due to these social benefits, many Ukrainians do not want to find employment in Germany.

This call was supported by Minister-President of Saxony Michael Kretschmer, who backed a review of the social assistance payment system, including for Ukrainian refugees.

Earlier, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced the introduction of stricter rules for receiving social benefits.