As it happens6:44There can be no peace with Russia until Ukrainian children return home, says Lawyer
A Ukrainian who has been working to repatriate children taken by Russia says that there can be no peace between the two countries until they are all home.
Russia has taken tens of thousands of Ukrainian children In Russia or in the territories occupied by Russian during the war, an act that Ukraine says is war crimes.
But it is unclear if the fate of these children came up during Tuesday profile Telephone call between United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putinduring which they reached a limited already fallera – Fire cessation agreement.
« We must have stolen children as part of peace negotiation, » said Mykola Kuleba, founder of Save Ukraine charity, who has been rescuing and repatrienting Ukrainian children, As it happens Host Nil Köksla.
« We want, we ask, we ask the world: to help Ukraine our children return. »
Trump has since promised the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who would help find children, according to the White House. But this promise comes when its administration reduces funding to a The organization follows its whereabouts.
« Death fields for Ukrainian identity »
Ukraine estimates that Russia has brought 19,546 Ukraine children since invading the country in February 2022 and only 1,243 have been returned home.
Kuleba suspects that the full number of missing children could exceed one million during the last decade of conflict between the two countries.
These children, according to him, are forcibly separated from their families and are orphaned, foster homes or adopted to Russian families.
Others, according to him, are sent to « reeducation fields » where pro-rus propaganda are taught and their native language is prohibited.
« We call these death fields for Ukrainian identity, » he said. « It’s like an ethnic cleansing for our children. »
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of genocide on Tuesday during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly, through the « massive abduction » of Ukrainian children.
In the meantime, Russia characterizes facilities as « summer camps » and says he simply tries to evacuate and protect vulnerable children from the war zone.
But Kueba says that children spent time in these camps describe their Russian caregivers by saying that their families and countries did not want them, and that the only opportunity to have a successful future is to stay in Russia.
« Russia’s main goal is to turn Ukrainian children into Russians, » he said. « And the second is to instill hatred for Ukraine and then turn them into Russian soldiers. »
Financing cuts affect tracking efforts
The problem was posed on Tuesday during a telephone call between Trump and Zelenskyy, According to a press statement issued by the White House.
« President Trump also asked President Zelenskyy about children who had disappeared from Ukraine during the war, including those who had been abducted, » says the statement. « President Trump promised to work closely with both sides to help ensure that these children were returned home. »
But at the same time, the Trump administration ended with an initiative funded by the Government led by the Humanitarian Research Laboratory of the University of Yale (Yale HRL), which monitored the children.
The organization issued A shameless report on the camps in December 2024which included images of Ukrainian adolescents in Russian camps that participated in weapons formation.
« It’s really a very sad story, » Kuleba said. « Maybe the United States government will restart this program. We have no idea. Like you, we received this media information and it is difficult to believe. »
As it happens6:33New York Mural shows empty bedrooms of Ukrainian children taken by Russia
A new art installation in New York City aims to draw attention to the difficult situation of Ukrainian children abducted by Russian forces during the war. The 30 -meter mural presents photographs of the empty rooms of the children. Since then, the children whose rooms have returned home have returned home, but it is estimated that 19,000 are still believed to be in Russian custody, their empty rooms leave behind. Artist Phil Buhler spoke as Nil Köksal’s host passes.
A group of democratic legislators has called on the administration to restore the Yale HRL program and impose sanctions on punishing Russia officials and their ally Belarus involved in the transfer of children.
« Our government is providing an essential service, which does not require the transfer of weapons or cash to Ukraine, in search of the noble objective of rescuing these children, » the Democrats, led by Ohio Greg Landsman’s representative, said in a letter to the Secretary of State Marco Reco and the Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent.
« We must immediately resume work to help Ukraine take these children home. »
The program was part of an effort that began by the former President of the United States, Joe Biden, to document possible violations of the right and international crimes against humanity by Russia and the forces aligned in Russia in his invasion of Ukraine.
Washington, a spokesman for Eurojust, a European Criminal Cooperation Agency, said he was informed by Washington that ended his support at the International Center for the Production of Aggression Against Ukraine crime, which was covering evidence to pursue Putin, among others.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said peace in the region can be achieved without the program, pointing to Trump’s conversations with Putin and Zelenskyy.
« The president of the most powerful country in the world, saying that I will do something here … I think it is a pretty good and clear indication that we can still work on issues that matter and do it without being in a certain structure that has existed, » he said.
Kuleba, meanwhile, says other allies can increase and fill the gaps left by the United States
« We believe that Canada perhaps joins efforts with other countries and will provide us with more support, » he said.
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