President of Ukraine: Forced Deportation of Children is a Clear Genocidal Policy of Russia
At the first founding meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children Illegally Deported and Forcibly Transferred to Russia from the Temporarily Occupied Territories, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the forced deportation of Ukrainian children is one of Russia's most cynical crimes in this war.
Opening the meeting in Kyiv, Zelenskyy thanked all the caring people who joined the International Coalition, according to the President's website.
"Children are not just being taken out of the occupied territory of Ukraine. Russia is deliberately trying to destroy any connection of children with Ukraine, with their families, with their loved ones. Children are taught lies about Ukraine and this war. Children are given up for illegal adoption - even when they themselves say they have relatives here in Ukraine and are trying to restore contact with their relatives," Zelenskyy said.
He stressed that Russia is trying to erase the national identity of young Ukrainians, which is evidence of Russia's genocidal policy towards Ukraine.
Zelenskyy added that the International Criminal Court's arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and Russian Children's Ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova are a convincing indication that the deportation of children will not go unpunished.
The President of Ukraine noted that time is of the essence when it comes to the return of Ukrainian children. According to him, it is important that young Ukrainians do not lose their entire childhood in a foreign country, that the cruelty of Russian state criminals does not break children and their connection with their country and families.
"The world knows that this crime of Russia against Ukrainian children, against our families, is not something haphazard, but an organised work of the Russian state system - its various links and individuals, starting with Putin and ending with all those who carry out criminal orders and destroy lives, including children," the President of Ukraine said.
The Head of State reminded that one of the points of the Ukrainian Peace Formula was the return of people from Russian deportation and captivity.
"I urge you to increase our coalition - to increase the chances of every Ukrainian child to live at home, to live in general, to return not in years, but as soon as possible," Zelenskyy said.
The first meeting of the International Coalition of Countries for the Return of Ukrainian Children was attended by world leaders, representatives of foreign governments and parliaments, international human rights defenders, public and cultural figures in video format and live.