The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution calling for the immediate and unconditional return of Ukrainian children forcibly transferred to Russia - an issue that remains among the most sensitive topics in potential peace talks between Kiev and Moscow, Agence France-Presse and Reuters report, BTA reports.
The document, which is not binding, was approved with 91 votes “in favor“ (including that of the US), 12 “against“ (including Russia) and 57 “abstaining“. The resolution demands that Moscow "guarantee the immediate, safe and unconditional return of all Ukrainian children who have been forcibly transferred or deported."
The text also calls on Russia to immediately cease all practices related to forced transfer and deportation, family separation and separation of children from their legal guardians. It also demands that the change of the personal status of children, including citizenship, adoption or placement in foster families, as well as their indoctrination, be stopped.
According to Ukrainian authorities, Russia has abducted at least 20,000 Ukrainian children since the beginning of the war. This has been described as "the largest state-sponsored abduction operation in history." by Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa, who told the General Assembly that more than 1,850 children have been returned so far.
“There can be no just peace in Ukraine without the immediate and unconditional return of our children to their homes,“ she stressed.
The United States also supported the resolution, adopted a day after a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Reuters notes. Moscow, for its part, urged countries to vote against the document, submitted by Ukraine, Canada and the European Union.