No pressure on conscientious objectors to return to Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that he does not want to pressure conscientious objectors who have fled abroad to return to the country, reported dpa.

Zelensky said he was not calling on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to send them back to Ukraine, in an interview with German public broadcaster ARD.

"I'm definitely not calling on Olaf Scholz to bring them back quickly," Zelensky said. "We live in a democratic world."

Zelensky said that Ukraine just needs a "functioning law" to deal with conscientious objectors, adding that the topic was being discussed domestically.

Discussions are currently ongoing in Ukraine about how the army can recruit more soldiers. The military wants to mobilize an additional 450,000 to 500,000 men.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence has been appealing to Ukrainian men living abroad to return home and defend their country against the Russian invasion as soldiers, nearly two years into the conflict.

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are registered as war refugees in Germany and other countries. Officially, men between the ages of 18 and 60 who are fit for military service are not allowed to leave the country, although many nonetheless managed to leave.

In December, German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said that Ukraine's problems with mobilizing soldiers would have no practical consequences for Ukrainians living in Germany.

"It will not be the case that we force people to do compulsory military service or military service against their will," Buschmann told dpa.