“What happens if we fall? I don’t know how many will come, 20 million Ukrainians will come to Europe.” This is the alarm raised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a press conference in Brussels, on the sidelines of today’s European Council. The Kiev leader warns the European Union countries of the consequences of a possible Russian victory: “Because they will destroy us, they will push us out. This is why we ask you to defend our country”.
Zelensky: “Putin wants to destroy Ukraine, not just Donbass”
According to Zelensky, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ambitions go far beyond the conquest of Ukraine’s eastern territories. “He says he wants Donbass. So why did the invasion begin with the attack on Kiev, the capital? A country does not exist without a capital.”
The Ukrainian president accuses Moscow of wanting to erase his country’s sovereignty and warns that the threat concerns all of Europe: “For someone like Putin it is never enough. And then? Within which borders will it remain? He is already testing drones on European countries”.
Finally, a criticism of the United States: “Thousands of drones have arrived in Ukraine. Thousands. And the Americans say that it is difficult to talk to Zelensky, that it is easier to talk to Putin.”
How many Ukrainian migrants there are already in Europe and Italy
According to the latest Eurostat data, as of 31 August 2026 there were 4.43 million beneficiaries of temporary protection in the European Union, concentrated above all in Germany (1.29 million), Poland (939 thousand) and the Czech Republic (398 thousand).
In Italy, there are 56,535 refugees from Ukraine who benefit from temporary protection, approximately 1.3% of the 4.43 million registered in the European Union.
The request for new aid: “70 billion is needed”. Expenditure incurred to date
The European Union has also made up to 17 billion euros available through the reallocation of European funds to support host countries. Among the largest economic commitments is that of Germany: according to the analysis of the Kiel Institute of 8 October, Berlin has allocated approximately 34.6 billion euros to the economic support of Ukrainian refugees.
And Italy? According to a government report taken up by the Chamber of Deputies, in 2022 alone the Presidency of the Council recorded 488 million euros for reception services for Ukrainian refugees. The assistance continues also in 2026: a Civil Protection ordinance provides for costs of 204.5 million euros in 2026 and another 35.3 million in 2027 for the continuation of reception.