Russia said it had agreed with Ukraine to return nearly 50 children evacuated due to fighting, but Kiev has not confirmed the agreement.
“This is the first time we have discussed directly with the Ukrainian side. According to the agreement, 29 children will return to Ukraine and 19 children to Russia,” said Maria Lvova-Belova, Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights. said on April 24.
Russian and Ukrainian officials previously met Qatari mediation officials in Doha. However, when responding to the media here, Ukraine’s High Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said he “cannot confirm information” about the agreement.
Mr. Lubinets added that the two countries “do not have any direct contact on this issue”. He said the Ukrainian delegation and Qatari mediators discussed the repatriation of Ukrainian children, Ukrainian citizens held in Russia as well as Qatar’s role as an intermediary.
Since July 2023, Qatar has acted as an intermediary to help bring back dozens of Ukrainian children who were evacuated to Russia because of the war.
Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova sits with children at the Qatar embassy in Moscow on February 19. Image: AFP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier said 16 Ukrainian children, who were returned to the country thanks to talks brokered by Qatar, were in Qatar to receive medical and mental care. Ukraine’s leaders did not mention the child exchange agreement as announced by Russia.
Kiev accused Moscow of illegally keeping more than 19,000 Ukrainian children since the outbreak of the conflict in February 2022 and less than 400 of these children have been returned home. Nga denied the accusations, saying they evacuated young children from conflict areas to ensure their safety.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) last year issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ms. Lvova-Belova for allegedly “illegally moving” Ukrainian children to Russia. The Kremlin said the ICC’s arrest warrant was a “prejudiced” decision and had no value for Russia.
The Russian Investigative Committee then opened a criminal investigation against ICC judges and prosecutors for alleged “violations of Russian law, including slander, attempts to attack foreign representatives protected under international law, with the aim of complicating international relations”.
Ngoc Anh (According to AFP)
