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Comment by the MFA of Ukraine on the Adoption by the UN General Assembly of the Resolution "Return of Ukrainian Children"

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

04 December 2025 14:29

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine welcomes the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the resolution "Return of Ukrainian Children", initiated by Ukraine together with Canada and the European Union and co-sponsored by 48 UN Member States.

91 countries voted in favor of the resolution. The aggressor state, Russia, and 11 other countries have declared that they currently oppose the return of Ukrainian children.

This decision sends a powerful signal of international solidarity and acknowledges that the forced deportation and displacement of Ukrainian children by the Russian Federation constitute gross violations of international humanitarian law and international child-protection norms.

The voting results clearly demonstrate that the international community condemns the Russian Federation's practices, which include the unlawful transfer of children, alteration of their status and personal data, adoption by Russian families, ideological indoctrination programs, and militarization.

To date, only 1,850 children have been returned home, often after months of multilayered searches and complex operations to secure their release. This is why international support and pressure on Russia remain critically important.

The UN General Assembly demands that the Russian Federation immediately, safely, and unconditionally return all Ukrainian children, and cease any practices of deportation, forced displacement, separation from parents or caregivers, alteration of personal data, illegal adoption, and ideological indoctrination.

The adopted resolution also provides the UN Secretary-General with a comprehensive mandate: to coordinate the work of all relevant UN entities for its implementation; to engage with the Russian Federation in order to obtain complete information on the location, health, legal status, and conditions of Ukrainian children and ensure their return; to seek unimpeded access for the UN and international humanitarian and monitoring organizations to the places where these children are held; and to regularly brief Member States on progress in fulfilling these tasks.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine highly appreciates the important role played by Member States, international organizations, and the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, who work tirelessly to ensure that every child can return home, undergo rehabilitation, and reintegrate into a safe environment.

Ukraine will continue to work closely with international partners to ensure that every unlawfully transferred child is found, protected, and returned to their family. This is not only a humanitarian duty, it is a matter of justice, accountability, and adherence to the fundamental principles of international law.

Another initiative of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been implemented, as he consistently keeps the issue of returning all Ukrainian children at the center of the international agenda, in particular within the framework of Ukraine's Peace Formula. This attention contributed significantly to building broad international support for the resolution.

The adoption of the UN General Assembly resolution "Return of Ukrainian Children" was an important achievement for Ukrainian diplomacy in challenging geopolitical conditions.

Of the 193 UN Member States, 92 countries voted in favor (initially 91, with Costa Rica joining later), 12 voted against, and 57 abstained.