The number of asylum applications from Ukrainians in the European Union has dropped sharply

The number of asylum applications from Ukrainians in the European Union has fallen sharply. In the first quarter of 2026, they were down 57% compared with the previous year.

This was reported by the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

Overall, in Germany the number of asylum applications fell by 23% year-on-year in January–March.

The decline is primarily linked to a drop in the number of applications from Syrians and Ukrainians.

Against this background, Germany has fallen to fourth place in the EU for the number of asylum applications submitted for the first time since 2015. France is in first place, followed by Spain and Italy.

As a reminder, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently said that Germany would help facilitate the return to Ukraine of men of conscription age and would work to limit such individuals seeking asylum in Germany.