UN Security Council discusses abduction of Ukrainian children

The majority of UN Security Council members sided with Ukraine and called on Russia to return the abducted children.

This is evidenced by the broadcast from the meeting.

The meeting, timed to coincide with Ukraine's Independence Day, was convened at the US initiative. It began with a speech by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo. She condemned the Russian strikes on Chernihiv, Kherson, Lviv and other Ukrainian cities but also expressed concern about shelling of the Russian border and drone attacks on Moscow.

DiCarlo updated member states on Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children and efforts to bring them home. Following DiCarlo, Kateryna Rashevska, a lawyer at the Regional Centre for Human Rights, and Mykola Kuleba, founder of Save Ukraine, provided more detailed information on the topic.

France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Albania, Ecuador, Japan, Malta and Switzerland supported Ukraine's position on the immediate return of all abducted minors.

The United Arab Emirates called on Ukraine and Russia to provide the International Committee of the Red Cross with more data that would allow it to find missing children.

China, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, and Mozambique avoided mentioning the abduction of children by the Russians and called for compliance with international humanitarian law regarding civilians in war. They also called for a quick end to the fighting.

All countries except Russia congratulated Ukraine on its Independence Day.