EU, Ukraine and Canada to co-host high-level meeting on returning Ukrainian children

The EU, together with Ukraine and Canada, will co-host a high-level meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children on 11 May, in Brussels. The event is organised to support Ukraine’s work to trace, return, and reintegrate the children while ensuring accountability for Russia’s crimes.

“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has cost more than land and lives – it has stolen childhoods. Over 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly taken from their families, their homes,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “On 11 May, together with Ukraine and Canada, we will bring the world together to demand justice. We will work together to trace every single child, to return them to their homes, and ensure those responsible face consequences. These children are Ukraine’s future and we will not rest until every single child is returned.”

EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, on behalf of the EU, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand will co-host the meeting.

Participants will discuss ways to step up coordinated sanctions against those responsible for deporting Ukrainian children. Partners will also examine the recommendations prepared by civil society and the expert community during the Civil Society Expert Day that will take place in Kyiv on 30 April.

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Press release