Von der Leyen: abducted Ukrainian children not statistics, but family tragedies

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this during a meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, held in New York on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, a Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“If you look at all the horrors unleashed by Russia’s war, none hits deeper than the abduction of children. Tens of thousands of boys and girls are trapped in Russia, trapped. They are not statistics. Each and every one of them is a child. And behind each and every abduction is a family torment,” von der Leyen emphasized.

She reminded that the EU has imposed sanctions on more than 50 individuals involved in the crimes of abducting Ukrainian children, and that number will continue to grow.

“But this fight is not Ukraine’s alone. It requires the world’s resolve to maximize pressure on Russia,” the Commission President stressed.

In this context, von der Leyen noted that the European Union has joined the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children and plans to hold a high-level international summit in Brussels “to put these children at the top of the global agenda.”

As reported, Ukraine plans to present a UN resolution this year condemning Russia’s abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children.