Europe and US will work together to return Ukrainian children from Russia - Ursula von der Leyen
Photo: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (x.com/vonderleyen)
Europe and the United States will work hand in hand to return Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Twitter (X).
As von der Leyen reported, today she held a meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
"I thanked him for his commitment to alleviate the plight of Ukraine’s missing children. Europe and the United States will work hand in hand to bring them back," the European Commission President said.
During the meeting, the parties discussed Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine.
"We agreed on the need to cut Russia’s revenues from fossil fuels, and fast. This is precisely what Europe is doing with our 19th package of sanctions. We tighten the pressure, banning imports of Russian LNG into European markets and targeting refineries, oil traders and refineries in third countries," von der Leyen noted.
According to her, by 2027, Europe will completely phase out Russian fossil fuels.
Trump and von der Leyen also discussed Russia’s provocations, including regular incursions into European airspace.
"These are clear attempts to test our response. So Europe is speeding up its defence efforts to strengthen its Eastern flank. It must act as a shield for both Europe and NATO," emphasized the European Commission President.
The parties also discussed the situation in the Middle East and agreed that the suffering of civilians must end.
"Europe stands firmly united behind the Two-State solution," von der Leyen stated.
Abduction of Ukrainian children
According to Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets, since the beginning of the full-scale war, Russia has deported over 19,500 children from Ukraine.
At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Ukraine has managed to return 1,625 children from Russia, thanks to the Bring Kids Back UA initiative.
The deportation of Ukrainian children was the reason the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.
Additionally, in April, the Ukrainian Parliament adopted in principle a draft law establishing liability for the illegal transfer and use of children for military purposes by a representative of a foreign state.
Furthermore, a bipartisan group of US senators is calling for Russia to be recognized as a state sponsor of terrorism due to the mass deportation of Ukrainian children from temporarily occupied territories.
