International pressure on the aggressor state, including sanctions, must continue to intensify alongside the efforts of mediator countries working to secure the return of Ukrainian children.
This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by Mariana Betsa, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
“It is necessary to unite the efforts of all international actors and find effective ways and concrete steps for returning the children. Mere condemnation of the aggressor’s crimes or statements about the inadmissibility of child abductions are not enough,” Betsa said.
She stressed that Russia has been committing crimes against Ukrainian children effectively since 2014, following the illegal occupation of parts of Ukraine’s territory.
Betsa believes that, in order to strengthen systematic efforts to return the children, it is necessary to develop a roadmap for the work of the relevant International Coalition “so that each country understands which area it is responsible for or what commitments it will undertake.”
