UK refugee red tape has ripple effect 'felt by fighters' in Ukraine

Volodymyr Groysman pleaded for quick action on easing visa requirements

The then Ukrainian prime minister Volodymyr Groysman in his office in Kiev. Sergei Supinsky / AFP

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A former Ukrainian prime minister has criticised red tape slowing the escape of refugees to the UK, saying the effects of the policy are being felt on the front lines.

Volodymyr Groysman, who was Ukraine's prime minister between 2016 and 2019, said visa hassles had ripple effects and were felt by fighters in the country.

French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned Britain’s refugee effort for failing to live up to “grand statements” on helping Ukrainians.

The UK has, so far, only allowed in refugees who already have relatives in the country. On Monday, a new system allowing volunteers, who will receive £350 ($456) a month, to offer homes to Ukrainians without family ties is expected to be announced.

He said the country was “very grateful for everything the United Kingdom is doing for us in these difficult times” but also pleaded for quick action on visas.

Refugees who fled Ukraine wait outside a temporary centre in Przemysl, Poland. Reuters

Refugees intent on fleeing Ukraine wait for hours to board a train from Lviv to Poland. Reuters

People arrive at a refugee camp near Palanca, in Moldova, about 3 kilometres from the border with Ukraine. EPA

Pupils in Sache village, France, welcome Anastasia and her son Dary, refugees fleeing Ukraine. AFP

Refugees from Ukraine disembark a ferry at the border crossing in Isaccea, Romania. Getty

People who fled Ukraine wait for transport after crossing the border into Poland. AP

Refugees at a makeshift shelter set up at a four-star hotel in Suceava, Romania. AP

Women and children arrive at Lviv train station in western Ukraine as they try to flee the country. EPA

Relatives are reunited after crossing from Ukraine into Hungary. Getty

A woman welcomes a child who has arrived in Berlin on a train from Poland. Reuters

Refugees from Odesa arrive in Athens. Reuters

People fleeing Ukraine arrive at Velke Slemence, Slovakia. EPA

Parents and children make their way through Berlin's main station after arriving in Germany from Poland. Reuters

Refugees at the Medyka border crossing in Poland, where thousands are fleeing as a result of the Russian military offensive. AFP

A sports hall in Chisinau, Moldova, where more than 500 people who fled from Ukraine found shelter. EPA

A child looks out from a tent at a temporary camp for refugees in Przemysl, Poland. Reuters

A worker prepares a gym in Perpignan, France, before the arrival of people fleeing Ukraine. AFP

“If there is a possibility to cut this red tape for Ukrainians and to help those people of course it will be welcome, because I think you're not going to regret the fact that you care about Ukrainians, because Ukrainians are very good people, they are very bright, they need your help,” he said.

“You also need to understand that each father or each husband who is now holding arms in his hands, he is really distracted from this war with the fact if he hears that there are some kind of technical difficulties which his family is suffering.”

Mr Macron criticised Britain's visa policy but welcomed the opening of a visa site closer to Calais and the Channel Tunnel where trains can take refugees to London.

“I welcome the British shift, which shows there was a problem,” Mr Macron said.

Police officers detain a woman in central Moscow, during a protest against Russian military action in Ukraine. AFP

Children look at phones as people who fled the conflict in Ukraine wait outside an immigration office in Brussels, Belgium. Reuters

Soldiers stand next to a bus with a damaged windscreen, after an attack on the Yavoriv military base, in Novoyavorivsk, Ukraine. Reuters

A soldier waits at a hospital after the attack on the Yavoriv military base. Reuters

A wounded soldier is transported by medical workers, at a hospital in Novoyavorivsk, after the attack on the Yavoriv military base. Reuters

Rescuers work at the site of an accident after a bus that was carrying about 50 Ukrainian refugees overturned near Forli, central Italy. One person died in the crash. AFP

A man wounded in the air strikes at a nearby military complex is assisted by medical staff outside Novoiavorivsk District Hospital. Getty Images

Paramedics find low ground after an air-raid siren sounds on the outskirts of Novoiavorivsk. Getty Images

A view of a residential building damaged during an air strike, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Chernihiv, Ukraine. Reuters

A tram damaged by shelling sits at a depot, in Kharkiv. AP

An abandoned doll next to a car riddled with bullets in Irpin, north of Kyiv. AFP

A Ukrainian soldier holds a Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon that was used to destroy a Russian armoured personal carrier in Irpin. AFP

Residents try to strengthen the wall of a house damaged by recent shelling, on the outskirts Kyiv. AFP

Firefighters extinguish a blaze at a house after shelling in Kyiv. AFP

A convoy of pro-Russian troops outside the separatist-controlled town of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region, Ukraine. Reuters

Smoke from shelling rises behind a wreath at a cemetery in Vasylkiv, south-west of Kyiv. AP

A woman stands outside a local hospital, damaged during fighting in Volnovakha. Reuters

People gather in the basement of a local hospital, which was damaged during clashes in Volnovakha. Reuters

A Ukrainian soldier leaves a damaged building after shelling in Kyiv. AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. AFP

A finance police officer boards Russian billionaire Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko's superyacht, which has been sequestered at the northern port of Trieste, Italy. Reuters

A Russian KA-52 gunship strikes a Ukrainian military object. AFP

Bystanders watch what appears to be Russian forces arresting Ivan Fedorov, mayor of Melitopol, a city in south-eastern Ukraine. Reuters

Firefighters battle a blaze at a warehouse storing frozen products hit by shelling in Kvitneve, Kyiv region. Reuters

A soldier loads the cargo hold of a chartered Boeing 747 airplane with duffle bags belonging to US soldiers, during their deployment to Europe, at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia. AP

Two young girls pray for peace in Ukraine at Lisbon's 16th century Jeronimos Monastery. AP Photo

A volunteer of the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces walks on the debris of a car wash destroyed by Russian bombing in Baryshivka, east of Kyiv. AP Photo

Volunteers pass an improvised path under a destroyed bridge as they help an elderly resident in Irpin, north-west Kyiv. AP Photo

A woman who was evacuated from Irpin kisses a cat wrapped in a blanket at a triage point in Kyiv. AP Photo

An explosion is seen in an apartment building after a Russian army tank fires in Mariupol. AP Photo

A Russian army tank moves through a street on the outskirts of Mariupol. AP Photo

Tonya Steyn, office manager and volunteer co-ordinator, sorts through medical supplies at the non-governmental organisation, SOS International headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. AFP

An overview of damaged buildings and burning fuel storage tanks at Antonov Airport in Hostomel, north-west of Kyiv. Maxar Technologies / AFP

The destroyed main building of school number 25, after being bombed in Zhytomyr. EPA

A supporter holds a sign to support Ukraine during Paris' mayor and 'Socialist party' (PS) presidential candidate's campaign meeting in Rennes, western France. AFP

He said: “Despite all the grand statements … the British government continued to apply current rules that meant they did not welcome Ukrainian refugees who wanted to reach British soil saying they have to travel hundreds of kilometres in order to apply for a visa.

“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.”

French Home Affairs Minister Gerald Darmanin had previously written to Home Secretary Priti Patel urging her to cut back on red tape around refugees entering the country and set up UK consular services in Calais.

On Saturday, the Home Office pointed to previous comments from Ms Patel, which stated: “We are now making the process quicker and simpler by removing the need to physically visit visa application centres for many of those who are making the perilous journey across Europe.”

In the EU, Ukrainian refugees have been granted immediate residency rights, and access to medical care, schools and jobs.