President von der Leyen addresses international coalition to bring Ukrainian children home as EU doubles down on support for Ukraine

Country: Ukraine Source: European Commission Please refer to the attached file. President of the European Commission,Ursula von der Leyen, delivered an address at the High-level Meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children , held in Brussels on 11 May 2026. This initiative was announced by President von der Leyen at her 2025 State of the Union address and co-hosted by the EU, Ukraine, and Canada , bringing together representatives from around 60 countries to coordinate diplomatic, humanitarian, and legal efforts aimed at securing the safe return of Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia. At the meeting, the European Commission announced €50 million to support the protection systems, education, and reintegration of abducted Ukrainian children and to pursue accountability for those responsible. In her address, President von der Leyen put a face to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine by recounting the story of Sasha , an 11-year-old boy who Russian soldiers took and separated from his mother, but who escaped to free Ukraine with his grandmother's help. The President recalled her meeting with the Ukrainian boy: "When I met Sasha, I promised that we would do all we can to help." Since the start of their war of aggression against Ukraine, Russian authorities deported or forcibly transferred more than 20,500 children , with only around 2,100 returned so far . President von der Leyen stressed the extent of the issue: "Tens of thousands of boys and girls remain trapped in Russia. Frightened and longing for their families and loved ones. Many have already been rescued – thanks to the efforts of the Ukrainian government, civil society, and all of you in the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. But every ...

Original source: Relief Web