WASHINGTON – Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) led a bipartisan group of senators in introducing a resolution calling for the return of abducted Ukrainian children before any peace agreement is finalized ending the war against Ukraine.
The resolution condemns Russia’s abduction and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children and notes Russia’s invasion has increasingly exposed children to human trafficking and exploitation, child labor, sexual violence, hunger, injury, trauma and death.
“Putin’s inhumane and unprovoked attack on Ukraine started the largest war in Europe since World War II. He has kidnapped thousands of children to brainwash and Russify them in an attempt to destroy their cultural identity and heritage. The United States ought to demand these children are returned before inking a deal to end the war in Ukraine,” Grassley said.
“The mass kidnapping of Ukrainian children by Russia is an atrocity. We cannot accept a world where children are abducted during wartime and used as a form of hostage-taking for negotiations. These children must be returned unconditionally before any peace deal is finalized,” Klobuchar said.
Organizations endorsing the resolution include: World Relief, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (Southern Baptist Convention), Christian Life Commission & Center for Cultural Engagement (Texas Baptists), Peace & Power Ukraine Host Gary Marx, National Association of Evangelicals and Lifeline Children’s Services.
The resolution follows an April letter sent by forty religious leaders to President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling for the return of the nearly 20,000 children forcibly transferred to Russia and Russian-controlled territories.
Find text of the resolution HERE.
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.
Grassley’s ongoing work to support Ukraine:
For years, Grassley has been an outspoken critic of Russia's threats and aggressive actions. After the invasion, Grassley immediately condemned Russia’s assault on Ukraine, calling it “inhumane” and pointing out that Putin is tragically “killing innocent people like Stalin did in the 1930s.” Grassley spoke on the Senate floor to call for victory in Ukraine noting, “Anything short of a Ukrainian victory is an invitation for future Russian aggression.”
After Russia began indiscriminately bombing Ukraine and murdering innocent civilians, Grassley joined his colleagues in introducing a resolution to hold Putin and his allies accountable for war crimes. This resolution passed the Senate unanimously.
In March, Grassley co-led a bipartisan letter calling on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to continue supporting efforts to investigate Russia’s abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children.
Read more about Grassley’s efforts to support Ukraine and hold Russia accountable HERE.
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National Association of Evangelicals and Lifeline Children’s Services (the largest Evangelical adoption agency)
National Association of Evangelicals and Lifeline Children’s Services (the largest Evangelical adoption agency)