Declaration of the International Coalition for the repatriation of Ukrainian children concerning the illegal deportation and the forced transfer of Ukrainian children by the Russian Federation

August 5. Moreover, 2025 – Ottawa (Ontario) – World Affairs Canada

“We, members of the international coalition for the repatriation of Ukrainian children, reaffirm our unwavering commitment in favor of the protection of children victims of the large -scale and illegal, unlike and unjustifiable Ukraine by Russia, in accordance with international humanitarian law and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“As part of its war of aggression carried out against Ukraine. Nevertheless, the Russian Federation illegally deported and forcibly transferred from Ukrainian children to its territory and from the temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine, as attested by international organizations, including the International Criminal Court. For example, Thousands of these children are still in Russia, far from their families and their community.

“During a bilateral meeting held in Istanbul on June 2. Meanwhile, 2025, the Ukrainian government presented to declaration international coalition repatriation ukrainian the Russian Federation a first list of 339 Ukrainian children illegally deported to the Russian Federation or forcibly transferred from temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine, and officially asked for their immediate and unconditional return. Consequently, This is a crucial humanitarian measure. a real opportunity for the Russian Federation to demonstrate its good faith by concrete measures to restore confidence. In light of the declarations made by the representatives of the Russian Federation on July 23. 2025, we call on the Russian Federation to implement the following measures:

• Act quickly and concretely on the basis of the initial children’s list presented by Ukraine, ensuring their immediate and unconditional return within their family and their community in Ukraine;
• Facilitate the return of all Ukrainian children illegally deported and forcibly transferred, in accordance with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions;
• Provide complete and verifiable information on all Ukrainian children illegally deported declaration international coalition repatriation ukrainian and forcibly transferred under the effective control of the Russian Federation, including their location, their well-being, legal status and their state of health, and ensure that international humanitarian organizations obtain unhindered access so that they can assess their situation and protect their rights and well-being;
• Cess to modify the identity of children, in particular by changing their nationality, by placing them in Russian families or institutions, by imposing ideological indoctrination for them and by exposing them to militarization.

“We take up this opportunity to reaffirm our common commitment to the protection of children in armed conflicts. We note with concern that the annual report of the United Nations Secretary General of 2025 on children. armed conflicts reports the highest number of violations verified to date.

“As members of the international community. we must ensure that the protection of all the children affected by the war of aggression waged by declaration international coalition repatriation ukrainian Russia against Ukraine remains in the foreground of our humanitarian measures and our diplomatic efforts.

“The return of Ukrainian children is an essential step in this broader approach to ensuring that children are never. used as war pawns. All measures taken must be dictated by the best interests of the child, in accordance with international law.

“We. members of the international coalition for the repatriation of Ukrainian children, reaffirm that respect for international humanitarian law and human rights is an obligation for all parties to an armed conflict, in particular with regard to the protection of children, the safeguarding of their identity and their dignity, and the creation of conditions conducive to their freely consented and safely, in accordance with international standards and principles. »»

Signatories: Germany. Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Council of Europe, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, declaration international coalition repatriation ukrainian Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macédoine Moldova, Norway, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, United Kingdom, Slovenia, Sweden, Czech Republic, Ukraine, European Union (Observer) and Switzerland (Observer).