Germany could share information on Ukrainian men of military age living in the country with Kyiv, allowing Ukrainian authorities to contact them about military service, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said.
Speaking to Bild on Monday, Wadephul backed the idea of sharing information held by German municipalities and welfare agencies with Ukrainian authorities. His comments came after Markus Söder, leader of Germany’s CSU, called for Ukrainian men of fighting age living in Germany to return to Ukraine.
“We know who lives here. Who receives social benefits, who is registered with local authorities, who holds residence status,” Wadephul told Bild.
Germany could provide that information to Kyiv so Ukrainian authorities could contact the men about conscription, Wadephul said. However, he stressed that any return to Ukraine should take place “without coercion”.
The proposal highlights the growing political sensitivity surrounding the presence of Ukrainian men of military age in Germany, as Kyiv seeks to replenish its armed forces after more than four years of full-scale war with Russia.
Ukraine faces sustained pressure to replace troops, build reserves and provide rotations for soldiers serving on the front line. Its mobilisation campaign has also faced criticism, with Ukrainian authorities accused of forced recruitment, violations of civil rights and mistreatment of conscripts.
Wadephul’s remarks came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Germany was prepared to provide additional air-defence supplies to Ukraine.
Berlin is expanding its military assistance, including further deliveries of Patriot interceptor missiles and additional IRIS-T air-defence systems.
“In addition to PAC-2 interceptor missiles, Germany will further step up its continuous provision of AIM-9 air-to-air missiles from Bundeswehr stocks to provide greater quantities to Ukraine,” German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Monday.
The contrasting developments underline the increasingly complex relationship between Germany’s support for Ukraine’s military effort and the domestic political debate over Ukrainian nationals living in Germany.
Germany hosts one of Europe’s largest Ukrainian refugee populations, while the war has intensified pressure on Kyiv to mobilise additional personnel for the battlefield.
For Berlin, any move to share personal or administrative data with Ukraine would also raise questions over privacy, legal safeguards and the limits of German support for Kyiv’s mobilisation efforts.