Russia must return Ukrainian children unconditionally, not through exchanges – Betsa

This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by Mariana Betsa, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

“It is extremely important to intensify diplomatic efforts as much as possible in order to pressure Russia to return Ukrainian children unconditionally. This process cannot be part of any exchange lists,” Betsa stressed.

“This is not how it works. We are talking about children, so this is a matter of humanity,” the deputy minister emphasized.

She said that Russia is meanwhile attempting to use children as a tool of negotiating pressure.

“There have already been attempts by the Russians to give us a list for a certain exchange, adding children to it so that we would return traitors of Ukraine in exchange for our children. But children must be returned unconditionally; they cannot serve as bargaining chips,” Betsa underscored.

Emphasizing the need for Russia to face inevitable accountability for the crimes of abducting and indoctrinating children, she noted that international organizations have already concluded that these acts constitute “war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

She also recalled a number of proceedings at the International Criminal Court and the ongoing process of establishing a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, which will operate under the auspices of the Council of Europe and be headquartered in The Hague.

“It is very important for this tribunal to begin operating as soon as possible, because Russia continues to commit these crimes on an industrial scale. Every day genocide is being committed, every day Russia commits crimes against humanity, every day Russia commits war crimes, including against our children. Therefore, we must document all of this and ensure the transfer of evidence to international judicial institutions so that new arrest warrants are issued and the Russian political and military leadership is brought to justice,” Betsa stated, stressing that this is “a red line for the President of Ukraine and for our entire state.”

Without holding Russia’s leadership accountable, there can be no just peace, the deputy foreign minister emphasized.

“No authoritarian or dictatorial regime should feel impunity. Therefore, how this war ends and how Russian leaders are brought to justice will send a signal to other countries that also seek to violate international law and change borders by force,” Betsa concluded.

As previously reported, in an interview with Ukrinform, Betsa said that Panama’s accession to the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children demonstrates that this issue is relevant not only regionally, but also for the Global South countries.