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UK Will Make Every Effort to Bring Ukrainian Children Home, British PM Starmer Says

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Ivan_khomenko
Ivan Khomenko
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UK Will Make Every Effort to Bring Ukrainian Children Home, British PM Starmer Says
A woman with children waits near a coordination center in Sumy after being evacuated from a border settlement amid intensified Russian shelling. Illustrative Image. (Source: Getty Images)

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged that the United Kingdom will do everything possible to support the return of Ukrainian children who were illegally taken to Russia.

Speaking in Parliament on March 26, Starmer addressed a visiting delegation from the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, emphasizing that the abduction of Ukrainian children constitutes a grave violation. He stressed that any sustainable peace in Ukraine must include accountability for these actions.

“I want to welcome the Bring Kids Back UA delegation in the gallery. The abduction of Ukrainian children is a horrific crime, and the United Kingdom will make every effort to bring them home. It is a stark reminder that any peace settlement must involve holding Russia accountable for its disgraceful actions,” Starmer said.

He also announced a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris scheduled for March 27, where both leaders plan to discuss ongoing efforts to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine, including the issue of illegally deported children.

The Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, thanked the British Prime Minister, Parliament, and people for their strong support. “The abduction of Ukrainian children is a war crime. The efforts of partners like the United Kingdom are bringing us closer to the moment when every child is returned home, and those responsible are held accountable,” Yermak stated in a Telegram post.

Bring Kids Back UA is a Ukrainian humanitarian program launched in 2023 at the initiative of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It aims to return and reintegrate deported children, support their social adaptation, promote family-based care, and document crimes for international accountability, including through proceedings at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Earlier, four Ukrainian teenagers were rescued from Russian-occupied territories, including a 14-year-old girl denied medical care due to her Ukrainian citizenship and a 16-year-old boy interrogated for being the son of a Ukrainian soldier.

According to Bring Kids Back UA, the teenagers faced pressure to adopt Russian identities, endured psychological coercion, and were subjected to military-related activities while in occupation.

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