Today at 16:37
More than 40 countries have joined the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. This was announced today, August 27, at the forum “Ukraine 24. Independence” by the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak.
“Russia has kidnapped tens of thousands of Ukrainian children, and only a few hundred have been returned (388 children, — ed.). In this work, Ukraine is supported not only by our partners, but also by countries that take a more neutral position [regarding the Russian war against Ukraine],” he said.
Yermak named two main reasons why so few Ukrainian children deported by Russia have been returned. The first is the lack of information.
“Today, there is not a single organization (because Russia does not cooperate with anyone) that could name the exact number of abducted children and where they are. This is very difficult work, which is carried out by many institutions,” Yermak noted.
The second is the impotence of the international legal system.
“Unfortunately, in the 21st century, no single international institution would know what to do. Our response to these challenges was an action plan that unites many countries, experts, organizations, and government agencies of Ukraine. Today, more than 40 countries have joined the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. And together we are developing mechanisms that are then transferred to international organizations and implemented based on bilateral and multilateral agreements,” the head of the OPU said.
Yermak announced that today there will be a presentation of the “White Book” – a document that includes international legal mechanisms for the return of children.
“I hope that this will be a powerful step to attract even more forces to this work, and that this will lead to concrete results,” he emphasized.
Read also: Already 25 agreements: Yermak named Ukraine’s ultimate goal regarding security guarantee agreements
Today in Kyiv the forum “Ukraine 24. Independence” with the participation of the country’s leaders started. At the end of the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will give a press conference.
