At the request of the S&D Group, the European Parliament will vote tomorrow on a resolution calling for the immediate and safe return of Ukrainian children forcibly transferred or deported by Russia. The S&Ds will vote in favour to demand their urgent return. A debate on the topic will take place this evening.
Since the start of Russia’s war of aggression in February 2022, thousands of Ukrainian children have been taken to Russian-occupied territories, or deported to Russia. This is yet another brutal manifestation of Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine.
The S&D Group condemns Russia’s actions as a grave violation of international humanitarian law and a war crime. They demand that Russia immediately disclose the names, locations, and wellbeing of all deported children, grant international organisations such as ICRC full access to the abducted children, and be held accountable. The group also calls on the EU to step up support for efforts to document, locate, and repatriate these children, emphasising that real peace requires justice and accountability.
Thijs Reuten, S&D MEP and shadow rapporteur on Ukraine, stated:
“Children are the most vulnerable victims of Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine. We cannot allow this deliberate and barbaric policy of deportation and the stripping of Ukrainian children’s identity through so-called ‘re-education’ to continue. International law is crystal clear: the forcible transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia is a war crime.
“We’re at a critical moment, with the Trump administration’s attempts to broker a peace agreement — but its proposals are silent on the abducted children. This is unacceptable. There can be no durable peace without justice. The EU must help ensure that any peace is fair and lasting. That means ramping up support for Ukraine, maximising pressure on Putin and holding Russia accountable, including the return of every single abducted child.
“The EU must help Ukrainian authorities and international and non-governmental organisations who are working to find and reunite these children with their families. Our counterparts in the U.S. or alternatively, the European Union and its member states must also ensure that the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, which documents and tracks these cases, can continue its work.
“Russia must urgently disclose information on every deported child and guarantee their safe return. Until then, international organisations must be granted full and unrestricted access. No child should be forgotten; we must get these children back to Ukraine.”
