Trump Pledges to Let Ukrainian Refugees Stay in U.S. Until War Ends
U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated that Ukrainian refugees who fled Russia’s full-scale invasion may be allowed to remain in the United States until the war concludes.
The Gaze reports this, referring to a video of his remarks that was posted on social media by Washington-based journalist Alex Raufoglu.
“We’ll do that. We have a lot of people who came in from Ukraine, and we’re working with them,” Trump told reporters at the White House on July 29, when asked whether Ukrainians seeking refuge would be allowed to stay.
The statement marks a notable shift in tone, given Trump’s previous efforts to scale back humanitarian programs and tighten refugee admissions.
Shortly after taking office in January, his administration moved to suspend several immigration initiatives, including the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program – a key Biden-era mechanism that provided temporary entry and legal status for Ukrainians with U.S.-based sponsors.
Since its launch in April 2022, U4U has facilitated the arrival of over 187,000 Ukrainians, with more than 236,000 sponsorship applications approved.
However, the program’s future came under scrutiny earlier this year when some Ukrainian parolees received erroneous emails from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stating their legal status had been revoked.
Trump’s latest comments are expected to ease fears of imminent deportation and offer a measure of stability to Ukrainians rebuilding their lives in the U.S.
“It’s incredibly heartening to see President Trump recognize that Ukrainians who’ve fled the war want to return home,” said Doug Klain, a policy analyst with the U.S.-based NGO Razom. “By giving Ukraine the tools to defend itself, he can ensure the war ends sooner so they can go back to rebuild.”
As The Gaze reported earlier, on June 13, the EU Council of Ministers of Home Affairs in Luxembourg adopted a political decision to extend the Temporary Protection Directive for Ukrainians until March 4, 2027.