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Ukraine does not recognize same-sex marriage or civil unions. The Constitution of Ukraine defines marriage as between "a woman and a man". The issue of legal recognition for same-sex couples has become particularly acute after the start of Ukraine's accession to the European Union in 2022 and the Russian large-scale invasion of Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War.[1][2]
In August 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his government was working on passing a civil partnership law that would provide same-sex couples with some of the rights and benefits of marriage.[3] A petition in support of civil partnerships was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada in April 2023.[4][5] In May 2023, Zelenskyy said that the Ministry of Justice was working on introducing partnership legislation.[6][7] Polling suggests that a majority of Ukrainians support the legal recognition of same-sex registered partnerships.[8][9][10][11] Ukraine is also obliged to introduce a same-sex union law under a June 2023 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights.[12]
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