A high-level meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children was hosted by the European Union, Ukraine, and Canada, bringing together representatives from around 60 countries. The initiative, first announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her 2025 State of the Union address, aims to secure the return of Ukrainian children unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred by Russia and to ensure accountability for these crimes.
President von der Leyen underscored the urgency of the issue, noting that tens of thousands of Ukrainian children remain separated from their families. She announced €50 million in EU support to strengthen protection systems, provide education, and ensure justice for the affected children, stressing that their return must be part of any future peace agreement. Since the start of Russia’s war of aggression, more than 20,500 children have been recorded as unlawfully deported or transferred, with Russia concealing their identities and locations, making coordinated international action essential.
The meeting reaffirmed commitments to intensify tracing and monitoring efforts, expand support for Ukrainian authorities and civil society, strengthen diplomatic engagement, and enhance reintegration programs for returned children. Partners also pledged to support investigations and legal proceedings, ensure accountability for indoctrination and militarization, and adopt further coordinated sanctions against those responsible.
The EU’s additional €50 million will reinforce Ukraine’s child protection system, expand community-based services, improve access to justice, and strengthen digital systems for compensation claims. The Coalition, launched in Kyiv in 2024 and co-chaired by Ukraine and Canada, now unites 49 countries and organizations as the central platform for coordinating diplomatic, humanitarian, legal, and informational efforts.
This meeting marks a significant step in the international community’s determination to reunite Ukrainian children with their families and hold perpetrators accountable, while ensuring that child protection and justice remain central to Ukraine’s recovery and peace process.
