© Screenshot from the video The OSCE President will make the following proposal.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe should become a participant in the global alliance aimed at the repatriation of Ukrainian children, who were kidnapped by Russia. This statement was voiced by OSCE President, Pere Juan Pons Sampietro, during his address in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
“It must be explicitly stated that the kidnapping and deportation of Ukrainian children, their removal from their homes, the enforced assimilation and maltreatment represent not only a violation of the laws of war, but also a matter of morality. Moreover, our 2025 Portuguese Declaration advocates for concerted international efforts to guarantee the secure return of these children. And today, I wish to declare my intent to formally propose that our Assembly integrates into the international coalition dedicated to the return of Ukrainian children and ensuring Russian accountability,” declared Sampietro.
Previously, Dmytro Lubinets, the VRU Commissioner for Children’s Rights, stated that over the last year, nearly 600 Ukrainian youths, abducted by Russia, have been brought back to Ukraine thanks to aid from the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. According to his words, following their return from Russia or EU nations, Ukrainian children who lack parental guardians or have been stripped of parental rights are placed within family-based care arrangements. As per the ombudsman, a considerable number of individuals are eager to welcome a child into their home, thus averting any “placement” concerns. Broadly speaking, the concept of children residing in specialized institutions should become a relic of the past.
