MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION Return of Ukrainian children forcibly transferred and deported by Russia – B10-0247/2025

B10‑0247/2025

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on  Return of Ukrainian children forcibly transferred and deported by Russia

(2025/2691(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to Rule 150(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

 

1. whereas in 2023, a report from the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, confirmed that ‘violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law’ were committed in Ukraine and in Russia; whereas the violations documented included forced transfers and deportations of Ukrainian children;

 

2. whereas an unclear number of Ukrainian children, have been forcibly transferred within occupied territory or deported outside Ukraine; whereas a recent UN Human Rights Office report has documented 200 cases (while acknowledging that the total number is unknown), while international organizations and the Ukrainian authorities have reported thousands of cases; whereas following that, children are distributed to ‘centres for the promotion of family education’, to start the procedure for acquiring Russian citizenship and adoption; whereas a limited number of children have returned to Ukraine;

 

3. whereas on 17 March 2023, ICC Pre-Trial Chamber II issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova accused among other crimes, of the war crime of unlawful deportation and transfer of the population and children;

 

1. Reiterates, in the strongest possible terms, its condemnation of the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine; expresses its deepest solidarity with the people of Ukraine and the families of all the victims;
2. Urges Russian authorities to immediate halt the forced deportation and transfer of Ukrainian civilians, including children, and their safe return to Ukraine; highlights that Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states that ‘individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons’ are prohibited;
3. Reminds to occupying powers that the international humanitarian law obliges them to protect children from the dangers arising from the war and its consequences, respect their national identity, and maintain the continuity of their education and culture;
4. Calls for the establishment of a formal system, facilitated by independent neutral parties, to facilitate the reunification of Ukrainian children who have been forcibly deported with their guardians and carers, and to facilitate the return of vulnerable persons, such as people with disabilities and elderly people;
5. Calls on Russia to immediately cease its military aggression against Ukraine and to resume negotiations for ceasefire and peace agreements;
6. Underlines the European Union’s leadership failure to pursue a serious diplomatic resolution to the war; stresses the urgent need for sustained diplomatic efforts to immediately put an end to the war and stop the suffering of the Ukrainian people; calls on EU institutions and member states to support an immediate ceasefire and a peace negotiation process that includes all parties;
7. Calls for all allegations of international crimes to be investigated, and for perpetrators to be held accountable; denounces the double standards applied by the EU regarding sanctions and international justice;
8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the VP/HR, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the UN, NATO, Ukraine as well as the President, Government and Parliament of the Russian Federation.