Ukrainian refugees: – – Must do something now!

– Refugees flock across the borders wet and barefoot, so we must do something now! says Dag Inge Ulstein (KrF) to Dagbladet.

According to the UN, almost 836,000 Ukrainians fled across the border into neighboring countries on Wednesday, less than a week after Russia invaded Ukraine. It is a number one fears will increase drastically in the near future.

KrF believes that the government must now be quick to get refugees to Norway, and that we can not wait for meetings in the EU about the distribution of people on the run before something actually happens.

Expect sharp increase

On Monday, more than half of the then 500,000 Ukrainians who had fled so far had traveled to Poland. Thousands were still queuing to cross the border there.

Slovakia, Hungary and Romania, all members of both the EU and NATO, have also been given the status of safe havens for the many Ukrainians affected by the war.

On Monday, more than 15,000 refugees also had crossed the border into Moldovaone of Europe’s poorest countries.

– The number of refugees will be much stronger in the next few days, Ulstein says and continues:

– The international community and Norway have now initiated significant economic sanctions and contributions with military equipment. We now believe that attention must be paid to the enormous humanitarian catastrophe that is unfolding. The measures must be equally strong in solidarity.

Will benefit

On Sunday evening, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said that Norway has now set aside up to two billion kroner to remedy the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

Hailed as a national hero

The aid billions will go to alleviate the humanitarian situation and help people on the run.

– The support is flexible so that the actors can plan for efforts where the needs are greatest, said Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt (Labor).

The government has also been clear that we will take our share of responsibility for the refugee flow and Norway will cooperate with the EU on a common solution for the distribution of refugees, so that there will not be an unreasonable burden on a few countries.

Støre has been clear that Norway must take its share of it, ie on the basis of a “reasonable distribution” between European countries.

Stands ready

On Tuesday, Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl stated VG that Norway will assist countries that request it with Ukrainian refugees. She added that work is being done to scale up capacity, but that we can handle 1,000 refugees in a day’s notice without doing anything extraordinary.

Ulstein points out that we have many municipalities that have already stated that they are ready to receive refugees from Ukraine, and therefore see no reason for refugees to sit and wait for help while the international community agrees.

– The Minister of Justice must take with us that we are ready here. We can not wait for series of meetings in the EU. We have had contact with several mayors who are waiting to receive people on the run, and it is not the case that refugees “can come”. They have already arrived, says Ulstein and continues:

– These children have the right to school from day one, so all buttons must be pressed now. We must start this apparatus to be as prepared as possible and the municipalities are ready. We have a huge capacity as a result of the record low number of refugees who have come to Norway in recent years and we can scale up quickly, says Ulstein.

The municipal sector’s organization KS has earlier this week confirmed to The class struggle that there is a great willingness in the Norwegian municipalities to contribute.

– Many municipalities approach us with interest and desire to receive refugees, said Nina Gran, subject leader with responsibility for refugees and integration in KS, to Klassekampen.

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