Sybiha: Russia’s proposal to put Ukrainian children on exchange lists “unacceptable”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said this during a meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children on Monday in Brussels, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“The return of Ukrainian children should be a fundamental element of the peace process. There have been many speculations. Today, I want to state this officially: the fate of Ukrainian children will never be part of any compromise. Russia has already proposed putting children on exchange lists. But this is unacceptable. Children’s freedom is unconditional, ” the Minister stressed.
He noted that Ukraine had managed to return more than 2,000 children, but this was done not thanks to international mechanisms, but rather despite their failure. “When we talk about children being really returned, certain countries helped, such as Qatar, the US, and the Holy See, some others, including those present in the room. Our special services and state institutions worked,” he said.
Sybiha drew a parallel between today’s deportations and Nazi Germany’s crimes, citing two quotes – from 16-year-old Ukrainian Boris Romanchenko, deported during World War II, and from a boy from Mariupol after being deported by Russian occupiers. Both statements were nearly identical: “They simply took us away – and you no longer belong to anyone” and “They just took us away and told us that nobody needed us.”
He recalled that Belgium remembers Kazerne Dossin — a deportation hub before Auschwitz — and the attack on the Twentieth Convoy, one of the rare acts of resistance during World War II that stopped a forced deportation. “Today we must stop this convoy again,” Sybiha said.
The Minister noted that “Russians are afraid of this topic” and are trying to downplay it. “They demand to take it off the agenda. They understand they are committing a crime and they are afraid of justice,” he added.
As reported by Ukrinform, the European Commission is allocating €50 million to help Ukraine hold Russia accountable for the abduction of children and to reintegrate those who have been returned home.
