European Parliament Calls On Russia To Return Ukrainian Children

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) MEPs stressed that the return of the children must be one of the priorities in negotiations to end the war.

The resolution was supported by 536 MEPs, with eight voting against and 37 abstaining, Ukrinform reports, citing the European Parliament's press service.

“The return of children is an obligation under international law and must never be used as a bargaining instrument or made conditional upon territorial concessions, prisoner exchanges, or other political agreements,” the press service said.

MEPs condemned the systematic deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children, illegal adoptions, forced Russification, ideological indoctrination and militarization. They called on Russia to immediately end these practices and return the children from territories under its control to Ukrainian territory not occupied by Russia.

According to figures cited in the resolution, as of September 2026, 20,651 cases of Ukrainian children being deported or forcibly transferred by Russia had been confirmed. An estimated 1.6 million children remain under Russian occupation.

As of October 28, a total of 2,752 children who had been deported, forcibly transferred or rescued from occupied territories had been returned.

The European Parliament called on EU member states to strengthen cooperation with Ukraine and international organizations to speed up the identification of missing and deported children, document cases of forced transfer, locate the children and secure their return.

MEPs also called for an expansion of EU sanctions against officials and organizations involved in the deportations.

The European Parliament reaffirmed its support for the work of the International Criminal Court and the arrest warrants it issued for Vladimir Putin and Russia's Commissioner for Children's Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, over suspected war crimes involving the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children.

MEPs stressed that accountability must extend throughout the entire chain of those involved in the crimes, from Russia's leadership to the perpetrators and those who facilitated their actions.

To gather information and establish the whereabouts of the children, the European Parliament supported close cooperation between Europol, Eurojust and the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.

Read also: Five more children returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory

As Ukrinform reported, Ukraine hopes that U.S. First Lady Melania Trump will continue to take part in efforts to bring back children deported or forcibly transferred by Russia and is seeking to involve more mediators in the process.

Photo: freepik

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