Klobuchar Statement on Reaching Milestone of 2,000 Returned Ukrainian Children

In November, Klobuchar met with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican along with a delegation from Ukraine working to return the thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the following statement after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine has reached a milestone in returning 2,000 Ukrainian children who had been abducted by Russian forces during Putin's brutal war on Ukraine.

"Today's milestone is a sign of hope and a step towards making Ukrainian families whole. But there are still thousands of kids who need to be brought home. We will not accept a world where children are abducted during wartime and used as hostages for negotiations. With the support provided by my bipartisan legislation with Senator Grassley, the United States will continue to help Ukraine track these children, care for those who are returned, and hold perpetrators accountable," said Klobuchar.

Klobuchar has been a leader in the Senate in supporting Ukraine after Russia's brutal invasion and, as a former prosecutor, has led on human trafficking issues in the Senate.

Her bipartisan bill with Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the Abducted Ukrainian Children Recovery and Accountability Act was signed into law in December. The legislation increases support for Ukraine's efforts to investigate and track the thousands of Ukrainian children who have been abducted during Putin's brutal invasion, assist with the rehabilitation and reintegration of children who are returned, and advance justice and accountability for perpetrators of these abductions.

In November, Klobuchar met with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican along with a delegation from Ukraine working to return the thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.

Photo credit: © Vatican Media. Photos to be used for news purposes, media & social: Authorization to publish the photos does not confer ownership rights or exclusivity (cf. Law CXXXII of 1 September 2017 on the protection of copyright on works of ingenuity and related rights, arts. 3§2 and 3§3).

To date, Ukrainian authorities have received around 20,000 reports of unlawful deportations and forced transfers of Ukrainian children to Russia, Belarus, or Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. The abductions aim to erase the children's Ukrainian names, language, and identity. As of today, Ukraine and its partners have managed to return 2,003 abducted children, according to Ukraine's figures.

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