During the opening years of the Russia-Ukraine war European states were quite welcoming to Ukrainian refugees and anyone fleeing the carnage and chaos, but now in the conflict's fifth year the general sentiment among EU populations and governments is changing.
Switzerland, once hailed as Europe's most neutral state - and among the most 'welcoming' countries for asylum seekers - is mulling a policy change which would exclude Ukrainian men of military age from protections granted to refugees.
The Swiss Federal Council announced in a statement Friday that it has begun consultations over the legal status of some 66,000 Ukrainian nationals who fled to Switzerland after the conflict erupted.
Welfare assistance and refugee protections are quite good in Switzerland, given individuals receive basic living items as well as government payouts, and can even freely travel in and out of the country.
For now, protections are expected to extend to Ukrainians in the country, but there's new talk of revoking this status for men of military age at a moment the Ukrainian military continues to face a severe manpower shortage:
The government announced on Friday that, at a national asylum conference in November 2025, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), the cantons, cities and municipalities had been tasked with drawing up clear regulations for the future of S protection status.
The results of this deliberation are now set out in a concept paper entitled “The Future of S Status”. According to the government, it serves to prepare for three possible scenarios: the continuation of S status; its abolition in the event of a stable ceasefire; and a phasing out of S status in the event of a protracted conflict.
Specifically pertaining to men of fighting age, the government is considering "a possible future restriction for Ukrainian men subject to conscription," a new statement reads.
"This is because the EU is currently considering an extension of temporary protection with a possible restriction for these men," the country's Federal Council has explained. A final decision could come by the end of the summer, but political pushback is said to be growing.
It should be remembered revocation of protected status is something the Zelensky government itself has long asked Western allies to do. It wants the rapid return of military-aged men, at a moment Ukrainian recruiters have resorted to harsh tactics cracking down on what are seen as draft dodgers.
EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner has also confirmed "This is also what the Ukrainians are asking us to do" - commenting on the question of no longer extending protections to Ukrainian men in EU states.
For now, no major policy shifts are expected, but as the war goes on and on, the tone of the conversation has shifted among many European officials. Washington in particular has emphasized that Ukraine's populace must stand up for itself, and has even leaned heavily on Kiev to make the mandatory conscription age younger.