Immediately upon returning to the White House, Donald Trump launched a radical overhaul of U.S. immigration policy. One of its key components was an attempt to expand the list of countries willing to accept deported foreign nationals from the United States—even if they are not citizens of those countries. As The Washington Post has revealed, Ukraine was among the nations approached with such proposals, despite being at war, suffering from destroyed infrastructure, and critically dependent on American aid.
In January 2025, the Trump administration, via a senior diplomat, submitted a proposal to the Ukrainian government to accept deported nationals from third countries. Documents reviewed by The Washington Post indicate that Washington was effectively considering Ukraine as a potential site for housing expelled migrants—despite the ongoing Russian invasion and the lack of a functioning airport. A Ukrainian diplomat at the time said Kyiv’s position would be determined later.
According to two Ukrainian officials familiar with the matter, the issue never reached the upper levels of government and was not the subject of serious internal debate. One of them noted that he was unaware of any “political conditions” attached by the United States.
The proposal was part of the new administration’s broader and more aggressive deportation strategy involving third countries. The documents show that, in the first months of 2025, Washington actively sought deals with dozens of governments, offering incentives ranging from financial aid to improved bilateral relations.
Some countries, such as El Salvador and Rwanda, agreed to accept non-citizen deportees in exchange for economic assistance. In El Salvador’s case, Washington even allocated funds to house deportees in prisons. Rwanda, according to The Washington Post, received $100,000 from the U.S. for accepting one deported Iraqi national, and also agreed to take in ten more individuals.
Against this backdrop, the proposal to Kyiv appears to be part of a deliberate strategy: Trump has repeatedly shown a willingness to use Ukraine’s dependence on U.S. aid as leverage. In February, a sharp dispute erupted between Trump and Zelensky in the Oval Office, and relations only began to thaw after Kyiv agreed to a series of conditions—including granting U.S. companies access to mineral resources.
Ukrainian officials stressed that while the country does accept the return of its own citizens, it cannot commit to housing foreign nationals under wartime conditions.
Former U.S. officials acknowledge that such requests are highly unusual and fall outside the bounds of standard diplomatic practice.
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