The European Union, together with Ukraine and Canada, will co-host a high-level meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children on May 11 in Brussels, in a renewed push to trace, return and reintegrate Ukrainian children taken by Russia.
The meeting will bring together international partners to support Ukraine’s efforts to bring the children home and hold those responsible accountable.
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“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has cost more than land and lives - it has stolen childhoods,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
“Over 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly taken from their families, their homes. On 11 May, together with Ukraine and Canada, we will bring the world together to demand justice. We will work together to trace every single child, to return them to their homes, and ensure those responsible face consequences. These children are Ukraine’s future and we will not rest until every single child is returned,” she said.
The high-level meeting will be co-hosted on behalf of the EU by High Representative and Vice-President Kaja Kallas and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, alongside Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand.
Participants are also expected to discuss ways to step up coordinated sanctions against those responsible for the deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children. They will also review recommendations prepared by civil society and experts during the Civil Society Expert Day set to take place in Kyiv on April 30.
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