Versailles, March 11 : French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday condemned UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson for making Ukrainian refugees unwelcome in Britain while pretending to lead the world in helping the victims of the war. Speaking at the end of an EU summit in Versailles, the French President said, “I would hope that the Ukrainian men and women who have lived through horror and crossed Europe to reach their families on UK territory will be better treated.” He also accused the British government of failing to live up to its “grand statements”, he Guardian reported. In the Versailles declaration, the EU said it would “offer temporary protection to all war refugees from Ukraine”. However, UK insisted that the Ukrainians having relatives in Britain will have to apply for visas. According to The Guardian, the UK’s Ukraine family scheme allows Ukrainian family members of British nationals to stay in Britain on successful completion of a visa application. The scheme also stated that the refugees who can find a private sponsor or local authority willing to provide housing and integration support can also come for an initial period of 12 months. Meanwhile, the EU has said all Ukrainian refugees have the right to live and work in the bloc for at least a year and potentially up to three years. Besides, Ukrainian citizens have 90-day visa free access to the EU. RNJ
