Zelensky: Kremlin called the issue of abducted children a “show for childless grandmothers” and effectively acknowledged the crime
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Russian side in Istanbul had effectively acknowledged the abduction of Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories. He made this statement during a conversation with journalists, commenting on the scandalous statements made by Russian representatives during recent negotiations.
Source: RBC
According to the president, the Russian delegation treated the humanitarian issue with blatant disregard, calling the discussion of the return of children “a show for childless European grandmothers.” This statement was made after the Ukrainian side handed over a list of more than 20,000 deported children.
“They agreed that there were not thousands of such children, but hundreds. But that is not important to us. What is important is that they acknowledged the fact itself. This has already been recorded,” Zelensky emphasized.
Earlier, the head of the President’s Office, Andriy Yermak, said that Ukraine had officially handed over to the Russian side a list of children who needed to be returned.
Russian officials tried to deny the fact of deportation. One of the negotiators, Vladimir Medinsky, said that Russia allegedly “rescued” Ukrainian children without having any documentary evidence of abduction.
However, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets notes that since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has forcibly taken away at least 19,500 Ukrainian children. Only about a thousand have been returned.
President Zelensky emphasized:
“We will fight for every child. And even if they mock the humanitarian issue, we will continue to tell the truth and seek justice.”
