UN General Assembly Demands Return of Ukrainian Children from Russia

English , Qatar - قطر , Snippets , / Thursday, December 4th, 2025

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New York, December 04 (QNA) – The United Nations General Assembly called for the immediate and unconditional return of Ukrainian children forcibly transferred to Russia, an issue that stands out among the most sensitive in discussions regarding any potential peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow.
The General Assembly adopted a non-binding resolution affirming the need for the immediate, safe, and unconditional return of all Ukrainian children who have been forcibly transferred or deported. The resolution was supported by 91 countries, and opposed by 12, including Russia, with 57 abstentions.
It also calls on Moscow to cease forced transfers, deportations, and family separations, and to refrain from changing the legal status of children through citizenship, adoption, or foster care. It further calls for an end to what the resolution describes as an indoctrination of Ukrainian children with extremist ideologies.
Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa told the General Assembly that Russia had abducted at least 20,000 children since the start of the war, calling it “the largest state abduction operation in history”. She noted that more than 1,850 children had been returned to Ukraine so far.
“There will be no just peace in Ukraine without the immediate unconditional return of our children back home”, Betsa added.
In response, Russian Deputy Ambassador Maria Zabolotskaya rejected the resolution, saying it is “full of mendacious accusations”, adding that every vote against the resolution is a vote for peace.