The United States has announced its accession to the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, according to a statement on the website of the US State Department.
US to deal with the return of children illegally abducted by Russia during the war
The goal is to support the safe return of all Ukrainian children who were illegally deported or forcibly displaced by Russia, as well as to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.
The United States also reaffirmed its support for the text of the "Joint Declaration on the Creation of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children", previously published by Canada and Ukraine. Also, it declared a joint commitment to the following principles:
The high importance and priority of ensuring the best interests of the child, protecting the rights and freedoms of children following the norms of international law in the context of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation;
observance of international humanitarian law and human rights against the background of the aggressive war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, including solving the problem of illegal deportation and forced relocation of Ukrainian children;
the importance of upholding international law, including the UN Charter, the Geneva Conventions and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
What do coalition members do?
Members of the International Coalition participate in supporting a just solution to the situation of illegally deported and forcibly displaced Ukrainian children, promising to make every possible effort to return the children.
They also promise to contribute to the provision of all necessary humanitarian, medical and psychological assistance to children and their families who suffered from illegal deportation and forced displacement by Russia.
We invite other states and international organisations to join the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children and support its efforts, says the US Department statement.
It was previously reported that Ukraine and Canada have created an international coalition for the return of Ukrainian children whom Russia illegally deported during the war.
Why it is essential to watch the movie "Abducted Childhood"
In 2023, the Online.UA team presented the documentary project "Abducted Childhood", which collected the stories of Ukrainian children abducted to Russia.
The heroes of the documentary talk frankly about how and where they met the war, what crimes the Russians faced and how they tried to save their lives and the lives of their loved ones.
Every day, the Ukrainian side does everything possible to return abducted minors, but diplomacy with Russia does not work, so the process is complicated and slow.
Russia continues to illegally remove children from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. However, this is not an evacuation, as the Russians claim, but a mass abduction of minor citizens of Ukraine.
In its new film, the Online.UA team documented children's testimonies about the war crimes committed by the Russian Federation against the Ukrainian people.
