MOSCOW, December 13. /TASS/. About 7.5 million Ukrainians, who fled the country due to hostilities, remain in Europe, the United States and Canada, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga said, speaking at the roundtable, organized by the Levy Bereg news website.
"According to our information, we are talking about 7.5 million Ukrainians abroad today," he said.
He claimed that the newly-established Ministry of Unity will work on repatriation of these people and their integration into the Ukrainian economy via other means.
"One possible step here will be the adoption of the law on double citizenship, so that the people don’t lose ties with their country," he explained.
Since the moment of declaration of independence, Ukraine has been experiencing serious demographic problems. According to the Ptukha Instituted of demographics and social studies, there are about 25 to 28 million people currently living in the Kiev-controlled territories. The Institute’s director Ella Libanova said earlier that Ukraine will not be able to return to the Soviet-era population, when about 52 million people lived in the republic. In 2012, when the fertility rate reached its local maximum, it stood at only 1.53. In these circumstances, the researchers consider a "power immigration" critical, including via repatriation of the Ukrainians living abroad.