US to push Russia to return Ukrainian children as 'confidence-building measure'

The journalist noted that one of the issues raised by US President Donald Trump was the return of Ukrainian children who were abducted as part of Russia's state program of russification, forced removal from families, and deportation to Russia.

"President Trump has spoken to both leaders about prisoner exchanges. Both the Russians and Ukrainians exchanged prisoners, nearly 200, immediately following their call. He also talks about the future of these children. So that's certainly, first and foremost, and, kind of, confidence-building measures," Waltz said.

At the same time, the US advisor emphasized the importance of stepping back to assess the situation. He pointed out that just a few months ago, there was no discussion about how the war might end. Now, it's important to consider what it could look like in one, two, or three years. He also noted that while the conflict had previously reached an impasse, both sides are now engaged in negotiations in the same room.

Waltz also stated that the United States is effectively implementing President Trump's vision for ending the war, which was part of his campaign.

In response to a follow-up question from the journalist about whether the US would demand the release of these children as a step to strengthen trust, Waltz answered affirmatively.

"We're talking through a number of confidence-building measures. That's one of them," he said.

US halts financial aid to Ukraine

Notably, several media outlets, including The Washington Post, reported that the Trump administration had suspended the US-funded initiative documenting Russian war crimes.

This reportedly also affected the database related to the mass illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.

However, recently, the US State Department denied rumors about the removal of the database documenting kidnapped Ukrainian children.

Deportation of Ukrainian children

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, numerous cases of illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russian territory have been recorded.

The Russian authorities, under the guise of "evacuation," have been taking children from temporarily occupied areas, changing their citizenship, and transferring them to Russian families.

In 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights, for their involvement in the deportation of children.