Zelensky warns EU of possible influx of 20M Ukrainian refugees

Volodymyr Zelensky. Photo: Office of the President

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned European leaders that up to 20 million Ukrainian refugees could flood into Europe if Ukraine fails to receive the support it needs and loses the war. He made the statement on October 16, 2026, at a press conference in Brussels following a European Council summit, Politico reports.

His remarks came after Kyiv failed to secure new EU funding. At the summit, Zelensky called on EU member states to find at least €70 billion for Ukraine in 2027. However, European leaders reached no concrete decisions, postponing the issue and tasking the European Commission with preparing new proposals.

Making the case for continued funding, the president warned that Ukraine could fall without European support. “What happens if we fall? Twenty million Ukrainians will come to Europe because he will destroy us and drive us out,” Zelensky said, referring to Vladimir Putin.

Notably, according to some estimates, the figure cited by Zelensky is roughly equal to Ukraine's entire current population. British sources have suggested that approximately 20 million people now live in the country – half as many as in 2014.

Ukraine's Minister of Social Policy, Denys Uliutin, has stated that between 22 million and 25 million people currently live in Ukrainian-controlled territory.

As the UOJ previously reported, British sources estimated Ukraine's actual population at 20 million. According to New Statesman deputy editor Will Lloyd, citing a senior British official, the country's population has declined by more than 30 million since the early 1990s, when it stood at 52 million.

Read also