Young Ukrainian men needed at home, Germany's Merz tells Zelenskiy

BERLIN (Reuters) -German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that he needed to ensure that young men from Ukraine do not come to Germany in large numbers, in what he said was a "lengthy" phone conversation the two held on Thursday.

"They are needed there," Merz told a trade congress in Berlin.

European Union countries in September recorded 79,205 Ukrainian refugees, the highest monthly number since August 2023, according to Eurostat.

The EU agency cited Ukraine's decision in August 2025 to allow men aged 18 to 22 the right to cross the border freely for the uptick.

More than 1.2 million Ukrainian refugees, or 28.3% of the EU total, are currently hosted in Germany, said the agency in a statement this week.

The German government also plans to adjust the benefits given to Ukrainian refugees so "the incentives to work outweigh the incentive to remain in the welfare system," Merz said.

Under the draft bill, which the cabinet is expected to approve next week, Ukrainians arriving in Germany after April 1, 2025, will receive benefits under the lower-paying Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act instead of the Citizen's Allowance.

Immediate access to the labour market will remain in place, and counselling services and job offers can still be accessed.

During the call, Merz also discussed the energy scandal that has engulfed the Ukrainian government, a German government spokesperson said earlier on Thursday.

(Reporting by Andreas Rinke and Miranda Murray, editing by Thomas Seythal)