RIGA, Feb 26 (LETA) - Ukraine is calling on all Ukrainians who have found refuge abroad to return home after the war and already now, Ukrainian Ambassador to Latvia Anatolii Kutsevol said at a news conference following a meeting of the Riga City Council on Wednesday.

Ukraine is already urging people to return to the places where it is relatively safe and where support is being provided to displaced persons.

At present, eight million people have left Ukraine to seek refuge from the war in foreign countries, with 47,000 of them currently residing in Latvia.

The ambassador believes that their return to Ukraine will largely depend on how well they will have settled in Latvia and whether they will have decided to obtain dual citizenship.

The ambassador noted that Ukrainians are active people and do not want to subsist on social benefits. Nevertheless, there are groups of people, like retired persons without job opportunities, who need assistance. It is therefore important for them to receive social assistance.

The ambassador stressed that one the war is over, Ukraine will be calling on its citizens back.

The ambassador thanked the Riga municipality for the support provided to Ukraine and to the people who have taken refuge in the Latvian capital.

As reported earlier, Riga City Council decided today to donate nearly EUR 300,000 and used computer hardware to Ukraine.

Since February 24, 2022, when the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began, the Riga municipality has been supporting Ukraine in its fight against the invaders and continues to support Ukrainian civilians who have come to Riga to seek refuge.