Zelensky: Russia offered to exchange Ukrainian children for Russian soldiers

Russia offered to exchange Ukrainian children for Russian prisoners of war.

This was reported by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a briefing.

"We are not exchanging them [children] for anything, it is absolutely unfair. To be honest, this is madness, which the Russians, by the way, proposed: we give them military personnel, and they give us children. It is simply beyond understanding, beyond international law, it is in their spirit," the President of Ukraine said.

He added that the children need to be returned, and this requires the "art of diplomacy" and bilateral relations between a person or a person with the Russians — either a leader or a state.

That is why, according to Zelensky, Ukraine is attracting so many countries, so many enterprising people are needed, "who, little by little — as much as they can — will return thousands of children stolen by Russia home, to their families, to their loved ones".

The President also thanked Austria and its representatives for their involvement in relevant initiatives. Today, Ukraine and Austria signed a joint communiqué on the security and return of illegally abducted Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation.

What is known about the deportation of Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation?

The deportation of Ukrainian children is one of Russiaʼs war crimes, for which the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin and the Russian Childrenʼs Ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova.

At a briefing on March 20, Zelensky said that Ukraine would work to return all Ukrainian deported children. At that time, the president did not have an exact number — different information came at different times. Previously, Ukraine had spoken of at least 19 546 Ukrainian children deported to Russia.

Another round of talks between Ukraine and Russia took place in Istanbul on June 2 of this year. At that time, Kyiv handed over to Moscow a list of abducted Ukrainian children.

• The Austrian parliament on April 25 supported a resolution to protect Ukrainian children abducted by the Russian Federation. The European Parliament also approved the document.

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