The EU Commission allocates €50 million to support the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Moscow

Brussels – To trace, repatriate, and reintegrate Ukrainian children abducted by Moscow, and to ensure that the Russian Federation is held to account for its actions. This is the aim of the high-level meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children taking place today (11 May) in Brussels. To achieve this, the European Commission will provide €50 million to support the children’s return.

According to estimates reported by the Foreign Affairs Council, since the start of the war in Ukraine, the Russian Federation has deported and transferred over 20,000 Ukrainian children to Russia and to temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.

Established in Kyiv on 2 February 2024, the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children today brought together around 50 representatives from countries and international organisations in Brussels. The aim is to coordinate measures designed to help the Government in Kyiv trace, repatriate, and reintegrate children, as well as to ensure that Russia is held accountable for its actions.

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, the Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, the Ukrainian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Andrii Sybiha, and the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anita Anand, chaired the meeting and issued a joint statement. “The abduction of children is not random. It is a premeditated Russian policy, a calculated attack on Ukraine’s future,” Kallas said at a press conference.

Kos, meanwhile, outlined the measures being taken by the Commission: “A total of almost €50 million, which will be used to fund various initiatives,” he began. “They will serve to support the child protection system in Ukraine” because “every repatriated child should have access to timely, child-centred, and community-based support.” And then “part of the funds will also be allocated to early childhood education, and part will be used to ensure justice for these children.” Meanwhile, “at least one million euros will be allocated to strengthening Ukraine’s digital capabilities, so that its citizens can submit claims for compensation and, in this case, on behalf of abducted children,” she explained.

Also today, the Foreign Affairs Council decided to impose sanctions on sixteen individuals and seven entities responsible for crimes such as deportation, forced assimilation, illegal adoptions, indoctrination, and militarised education. The list includes officials and politicians from territories illegally occupied by Russia, state institutions linked to the Russian Ministry of Education, youth camps and military organisations. Sybiha welcomed the sanctions, but noted that “it is necessary to update mechanisms, devise new tools, and ensure the effective enforcement of the rules.”

Finally, Canadian Minister Anand has invited her colleagues to attend a conference on 28 and 29 September 2026, focusing on the return, rehabilitation, and reintegration not only of abducted Ukrainian children, but also of detainees and prisoners of war.