**US Lawmakers Introduce Resolution Demanding Return of Ukrainian Children Abducted by Russia**
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has introduced a resolution in Congress demanding the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. The move comes as Kyiv estimates that Russia has abducted or forcibly displaced at least 19,500 Ukrainian children since the outbreak of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
The resolution, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks and Republican chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul, condemns the abductions and calls for the repatriation of children even before a potential peace deal is finalized. Senators Chuck Grassley (Republican) and Amy Klobuchar (Democrat) have introduced the resolution in the Senate.
According to the U.S. lawmakers, Russia’s mass-scale child abduction is “nothing short of evil.” The resolution states that Russia’s abduction and Russification of Ukrainian children demonstrate the intent of the Government of the Russian Federation to erase the Ukrainian nation and identity.
The abductions have been widely denounced as war crimes and violations of international law. In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and children’s rights ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova over their roles in the deportation of Ukrainian minors.
**The Resolution: A Call to Action**
The resolution demands that Russia return all abducted Ukrainian children to their families before any peace deal is finalized. It also highlights the risks faced by these children, including exposure to human trafficking and exploitation, child labor, sexual violence, hunger, injury, trauma, deprivation of education and shelter, and death.
Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, has welcomed the resolution as an “important step in support of justice and peace.”
**Context: A War Crime**
The abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia is a war crime that has been condemned globally. Since its launch in May 2022, the Yale University-based Ukraine Conflict Observatory has compiled evidence of Russian war crimes, including the deportation of Ukrainian children.
According to the database, over 1,360 children have been brought back home, but the actual number of abducted Ukrainian children could be higher than the figure provided by Ukraine’s Children of War database, placing it as high as 30,000.
The resolution is a call to action for the international community to demand the return of these children and hold Russia accountable for its war crimes. As the world waits for a potential peace deal, this resolution serves as a reminder that justice must be served, and the rights of Ukrainian children must be protected.
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