Zelenskyy urges West to support Ukraine's fight to reclaim abducted children
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine is continuously working to secure the return of children abducted by Russia. Kyiv is counting on support from the West in this effort, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a briefing with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The issue of returning the children
As the president noted, this concerns thousands of minors who must be brought back to their families before they are taught to hate Ukraine and Europe.
"We see the kind of propaganda in Russia, we see their principles and their values. We must fight for our children. This is crucial. We are counting on continued support in this direction," he added.
Special tribunal for Russia
Zelenskyy also reminded that Ukraine and the Council of Europe recently signed an agreement to establish a special tribunal to hold Russia accountable for launching the war. Around 40 countries have joined the initiative.
He added that it is now crucial to secure political support for the initiative in each participating country in order to ensure the tribunal's practical launch.
"This has not been a short journey, but we deeply wanted you to stand with us," Zelenskyy said.
Abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has been deporting Ukrainian children from temporarily occupied territories. Some of them have been illegally adopted in Russia in an attempt to sever their ties to Ukrainian roots.
In 2023, The Hague issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova.
Recently, the US Congress introduced a resolution condemning the abduction and forced displacement of Ukrainian children by the terrorist state of Russia.
