Ukraine Facility: Lithuania donates extra €10 million to address forced deportation and illegal transfer of Ukrainian children by Russia

On 16 March, the European Commission received an additional €10 million contribution from Lithuania to the Ukraine Facility.

On the margins of the Foreign Affairs Council, held in Brussels, Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys signed a Letter of Acknowledgement for Lithuania’s contribution.

This additional support comes ahead of the foreseen Summit of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, which will focus on addressing the forced deportation and illegal transfer of Ukrainian children by Russia.

The new funding will strengthen existing initiatives addressing key social dimensions of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction, such as education. It will also support Ukraine’s Better Care reform aimed at transforming the country’s child protection system.

Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said: “For Putin’s Russia, children have become mere instruments of war. Their schools are bombed, and thousands have been forcibly deported, torn from their families and their roots. The European Union is working hand in hand with Ukraine to help bring them home.”

With this contribution, Lithuania becomes the fourth EU Member State to make an individual financial contribution to the Ukraine Facility, following Denmark, Finland and Sweden.

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Press release