Washington, DC -- Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Michael McCaul, Chairman Emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning Russia’s abduction and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children and calling for their return before a peace agreement is finalized.

“Putin is a war criminal and, under his watch, the Russian military has cruelly abducted and illegally deported tens of thousands of Ukrainian children from their homeland," said Ranking Member Meeks. “These atrocities are not isolated incidents; they are the direct result of Putin’s war of choice. The United States has a responsibility to condemn these unconscionable acts by Russia and to demand the immediate return of each and every one of the children Russia has taken.”

“Since the beginning of Putin’s war of aggression, Russia has abducted at least 19,500 Ukrainian children from their homeland — with some estimates putting the true number as high as 200,000. These children have been stripped of their national identity, adopted into Russian families, or indoctrinated as soldiers for the Kremlin. As a father, I can’t imagine the pain their families have experienced. Russia’s mass-scale child abduction is nothing short of evil; the United States must demonstrate moral leadership by demanding every child be returned to his or her family in Ukraine before true peace can be achieved,” said Chair Emeritus McCaul.

Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) introduced the resolution in the Senate.

Background:

Ukrainian authorities have received at least 19,546 confirmed 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 April 16, Ukraine and its partners have only managed to return 1,274 abducted children.

The State Department’s 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report found Russia recruits or uses child soldiers, has a state-sponsored policy or pattern of human trafficking and is among the worst hubs for human trafficking in the world.

Read the full text of the resolution here.