White House: U.S. prepared to accept Ukrainian refugees fleeing invasion

Ukrainians evacuate from their homes in the Donetsk region.

(Image credit: Andrey Borodulin/AFP via Getty Images)

published 25 February 2022

Now that Russia has invaded Ukraine, it's estimated that up to 5 million Ukrainians may flee their country. On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters the United States is ready to accept some of those refugees.

The U.S. does expect that "most, if not the majority" will seek refuge in countries neighboring Ukraine, like Poland, and Psaki said the Biden administration is "also working with European countries on what the needs are, where there is capacity."

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In December, Ukraine's defense minister estimated that between 3 and 5 million Ukrainians might be forced to leave their homes if Russia invaded. In comparison, about 1 million refugees entered Europe between 2015 and 2016 from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and nearly 1.5 million people were displaced in 2014 when Russia invaded Crimea.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.