13/06/2025 (Agence Europe) – On Friday 13 June, the Council of the European Union unanimously approved the extension – until 4 March 2027 – of the temporary protection that the EU has granted since March 2022 to more than four million Ukrainians who fled Russia’s war of aggression (see EUROPE 13653/21). In addition to extending temporary protection, the Member States are discussing a draft recommendation aimed at preparing a coordinated exit strategy from temporary protection. Issues such as the transition to other legal statuses (of residence) in the EU and support for a gradual return to Ukraine are addressed. “The question of balance arises“ between prolonging the reception of Ukrainians and what we can offer them when the situation allows them to return home, said the European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner. (MB/SP)