EU's Von Der Leyen Plans Conference On Kids Taken By Russia

Brussels, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Mar, 2023 ) :EU chief Ursula von der Leyen announced Thursday she would help organise a conference on securing the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the ongoing conflict.

"It is a horrible reminder of the darkest times of our history, what's happening there to deport children. This is a war crime," she said, after a summit of EU leaders.

Last week, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant accusing Russia's President Vladimir Putin of war crimes for overseeing the deportation of Ukrainian children.

More than 16,000 Ukrainian children have been taken to Russia since Moscow's February 24, 2022 invasion, according to Kyiv, with many allegedly placed in institutions and foster homes.

Von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said she would work with Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to mobilise international support for their return.

"We know today of 16,200 children that have been deported, only 300 have returned so far, and these criminal actions completely justify the arrest warrants issued by the ICC," she said.

"We are at the very beginning of very hard work, we aim to pull together international pressure to take all possible measures to establish the whereabouts of these children.

"And we aim to assist UN bodies and the relevant international organisations in obtaining better and more complete information on the children who were deported to Russia," she said.

"And this includes also the children who were later adopted or transferred to Russian foster families."Von der Leyen also thanked UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who addressed the 27 EU leaders earlier in the summit, for offering the support of United Nations agencies in the effort.