Zelenska, Kallas discuss safety of Ukrainian children

The President's wife reported this in a Facebook post seen by Ukrinform.

The First Lady recalled that after the Russian bombardment attack on Ukraine on October 5, Kallas wrote on the social network: "Russia will not stop until forced into doing so."

According to Zelenska, today is the third time Ms. Kallas has visited Ukraine since her appointment to the office. "I have the opportunity to meet with her to discuss safety of the Ukrainian children suffering from Russian aggression," she added.

"We highly appreciate the European Union's joining the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children Abducted by Russia. Now the coalition includes 42 countries, the Council of Europe and the EU. We are also grateful to the Bring Kids Back UA team for their support,” the President’s wife emphasized.

She also noted that, through joint efforts and hard work, 1,687 Ukrainian children who had been abducted by the aggressor country have now returned home.

However, as the First Lady emphasized, return is only the first chapter in every child’s story, and then a long journey to psychological and social adaptation begins in their homeland.

“During a recent meeting of the International Coalition held on the sidelines of the most recent UN General Assembly, we initiated humanitarian projects to support the returned children that will help them adapt. These include building social housing, organizing supported living for young people with disabilities, the provision of humanitarian aid, and conducting psychological rehabilitation camps. We hope for the EU’s support in these projects,” Olena Zelenska said.

Also during the meeting, Zelenska and Kallas addressed the access to education issue, with focus on creating proper learning conditions, particularly the availability of bomb shelters and the organization of school meals.

"The European Union is already our important partner in advancing the school meals system. Thank you for this support. But this work can be improved even more, for example, through the participation of the EU and member states in the expansion of school infrastructure, in particular, in building bomb shelters and modernization of catering facilities," the President's wife emphasized.

As reminded by Ms. Zelenska, school meals in Ukraine are free for elementary schoolchildren and will soon become free for every school student.

"We are doing everything we can to ensure that Ukrainian children in every city and village have decent conditions for growth and development even during the defense of the country. We are grateful to everyone who helps in this," she said in conclusion.

As reported by Ukrinform, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas arrived on a working visit in Kyiv on Monday, October 13.