Russia proposed exchanging kidnapped Ukrainian children for prisoners of war – Zelenskyy
Kyiv • UNN
Zelenskyy rejected Russia's proposal to exchange children for prisoners. Ukraine has identified 20,000 deported individuals, but only 2,200 have been successfully returned.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia proposed that Ukraine exchange illegally deported Ukrainian children for Russian prisoners of war. According to the Head of State, such actions are unacceptable and contradict international law, UNN reports.
Imagine, how can you exchange children? You cannot. It is illegal. Civilians cannot be exchanged. They must be returned
Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine has currently identified about 20,000 children whom Russia illegally removed from the occupied territories. At the same time, the real number of deportees may be significantly higher.
According to the president, throughout the entire period of the full-scale war, Ukraine has managed to return only 2,200 children. He stressed that the issue of returning Ukrainian children remains one of the most difficult humanitarian challenges during the war.