CNN)When Denmark became the first liberal democracy to tell Syrian refugees to return to their war-torn home in 2019, Russian jets were still dropping missiles in Syria, in an effort to help President Bashar al-Assad's regime regain control of the country.
Ukraine is now being pummelled by the same Russian military, forcing more than 2.2 million people to flee to neighboring countries, according to the United Nations.
But instead of being met by xenophobia, detention centers and threats of repatriation in the European Union, Ukrainian refugees are being welcomed by European nations like Denmark with open arms.
"When there is war in Europe and a European neighbor is exposed to what we see in Ukraine, there is not the slightest doubt in my mind: We must help as best we can ... by welcoming Ukrainians on Danish soil," said Mattias Tesfaye, the Danish minister for foreign affairs and integration, soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.