Arrest warrants for Putin and Lvova-Belova must be enforced – Betsa

This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by Mariana Betsa, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

“It is necessary to unite the efforts of all international actors and find effective ways and concrete steps for returning the children. Mere condemnation of the aggressor’s crimes or statements about the inadmissibility of child abductions are not enough,” Betsa said.

She stressed that Russia has been committing crimes against Ukrainian children effectively since 2014, following the illegal occupation of parts of Ukraine’s territory.

Betsa believes that, in order to strengthen systematic efforts to return the children, it is necessary to develop a roadmap for the work of the relevant International Coalition “so that each country understands which area it is responsible for or what commitments it will undertake.”

Secondly, she emphasized the need to increase sanctions pressure on Russia.

“Russia will not stop on its own. Yes, arrest warrants were issued back in 2023 by the International Criminal Court for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova. This is certainly a precedent. But we must ensure that these warrants are enforced,” the deputy minister said.

Ukraine is also seeking continued mediation assistance from third countries, Betsa emphasized.

“At present, the main mediator is Qatar. We also see very active involvement from the United States, where leadership has been shown by First Lady Melania Trump. We are grateful to Qatar, the United States, and the Vatican, another important mediator,” Mariana Betsa said, while acknowledging that “a great many children are still being held captive.”

“According to our verified data, this concerns more than 20,000 children. As of now, we have managed to return just over 2,000. Most of them were returned despite numerous obstacles. In fact, the return of each child is a complex operation,” Betsa stated.

“This is essentially a return from captivity, because we see the harsh conditions in which our children are being kept in Russia and in the temporarily occupied territories, the abuse and torture they endure daily, and the scale of Russian propaganda directed at them.”

Currently, 1.6 million Ukrainian children remain in the temporarily occupied territories.

“Even if they have not been separated from their parents, they are exposed to Russian propaganda every single day. The occupiers are planting in them the idea that the Ukrainian state abandoned them and that no one needs them,” the deputy minister said.

As previously reported, Mariana Betsa stated that Russia’s inclusion of Ukrainian children in any “exchange lists” is unacceptable, as the children must be returned unconditionally.