EU to Convene High-Level Summit on Russia’s Abduction of Ukrainian Children, von der Leyen Says

The European Union will host a high-level international summit aimed at addressing Russia’s systematic abduction of Ukrainian children.

The Gaze reports this, referring to a post by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Speaking at a meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Abducted Ukrainian Children on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, von der Leyen vowed that Europe would continue to hold Moscow accountable.

She recalled that the EU has already sanctioned more than 50 individuals tied to Russia’s abduction policies and said the list would continue to expand.

“Of all the horrors unleashed by Russia’s war, none cuts deeper than the abduction of children. We will not rest until Ukraine’s children are home. The EU will host a high-level international summit to bring the world's eyes to the fate of these children,” she said. 

The Commission chief also announced that the EU, together with UNICEF, will invest more than $10 million in rehabilitation and reintegration programs.“When the children return, they must not only be welcomed, but helped to heal, to learn and to dream again of a future,” she added.

Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska also urged international partners not to allow the crime to be minimized. 

“There is a saying: one crime is a tragedy, many crimes are statistics. If one child were abducted, we would be outraged and demand justice. But what happens when an entire state, using its institutions and army, abducts not one but thousands of children? We cannot allow such crimes to become statistics. But this is exactly what Russia is doing in Ukraine,” she said.

Zelenska stressed that these abductions cannot be portrayed as “resettlement” or “evacuation,” but must be recognized as an act of repression. Russia, she said, is changing children’s identities, severing their ties and destroying their hopes.

Ukraine’s First Lady noted that Ukraine cannot bring all abducted children back on its own, as Russia withholds information from international organizations and violates the Geneva Conventions. 

She thanked the United States, Canada, and other early supporters, and said the coalition now includes 41 countries along with the Council of Europe. According to Zelenska, these joint efforts have already led to the return of 1,625 children.

As The Gaze previously informed, Melania Trump sent Russian President Vladimir Putin a “peace letter,” personally delivered by Donald Trump ahead of the Alaska summit, urging joint efforts to safeguard children and future generations.