President Donald Trump said Ukrainians who have sought refuge in the U.S. to escape the war with Russia likely will be allowed to remain until the conflict ends.
Among a small group of reporters at the White House, German media outlet DW’s Misha Komadovsky asked Trump whether Ukrainians who fled the war would be allowed to stay in the U.S.
"I think we will, yeah, I do. I think we will," Trump said shortly after returning to Washington from Scotland. "We have a lot of people that came in from Ukraine, and we're working with them."
Then-President Joe Biden in April 2022 began an initiative called "Uniting for Ukraine," which allowed U.S.-based sponsors to bring Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members stateside for a temporary period of up to two years on humanitarian parole, the Kyiv Post reported.
Approximately 240,000 Ukrainian nationals have fled to the U.S. since Russia began its unprovoked attack in February 2022.
Upon taking office Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order instructing the Department of Homeland Security to "terminate all categorical parole programs," which would include Biden's initiative.
In March, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said a Reuters report that the Trump administration is planning to revoke temporary legal status for some 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia is "fake news."
"This is more fake news from Reuters based on anonymous sources who have no idea what they are talking about," she said in a March 6 post on X.
"The truth: no decision has been made at this time."
The Washington Post reported in May that the Trump administration was considering using $250 million earmarked for foreign assistance to repatriate people from active conflict zones, including about 200,000 Ukrainians.
Trump on Monday said he was reducing the 50-day deadline he gave Russia over its war in Ukraine to "10 or 12 days," underscoring his frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin for prolonging fighting between the two countries.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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