The UN General Assembly has called on Russia to immediately and unconditionally return Ukrainian children who were “forcibly transferred” during the conflict, stepping into one of the most sensitive issues shaping ongoing attempts to negotiate an end to the war.
The non-binding resolution passed with 91 votes in favour, 12 against, and 57 abstentions. Russia rejected the measure.
The text demands that Russia ensure the “immediate, safe and unconditional return of all Ukrainian children who have been forcibly transferred or deported.” It also urges Moscow to halt any further transfers, separations from families or guardians, changes in personal status through citizenship or adoption, and any form of indoctrination.
Ukraine says more than 20,000 children have been taken since the war began in February 2022. Mariana Betsa, Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister, described it as “the largest state abduction operation in history,” and said just over 1,850 children have so far been located and brought home. “There will be no just peace in Ukraine without the immediate unconditional return of our children back home,” she told the assembly.
Russia maintains that some children were moved from combat zones for protection. Moscow’s deputy UN envoy, Maria Zabolotskaya, dismissed the resolution as “full of mendacious accusations,” adding that “each vote for the resolution is a support for lies, war, and confrontation.”
The vote comes as the United States continues efforts to secure a deal between Kyiv and Moscow. Although Washington supported the resolution, its broader plan to end the war has struggled to gain traction. President Donald Trump had initially set a November 27 deadline for President Volodymyr Zelensky to respond to a proposal that included territorial concessions, which Kyiv rejects.
Talks are still ongoing. After meetings in Geneva last month, Zelensky said progress had been made with US negotiators, particularly on “extremely sensitive points” such as the return of Ukrainian children.
European Union envoy Stavros Lambrinidis said the issue cannot wait for a final outcome in the war, arguing that “the abducted children of Ukraine cannot wait for the Russian decision to stop the war or not.”
Russia has been on a UN blacklist since 2023 for violations of children’s rights in conflict zones, including the apparent abduction of Ukrainian children. That same year, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin, stating there were “reasonable grounds to believe” he bears responsibility for the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.