The European Parliament will debate the situation of Ukrainian children deported to Russia on Wednesday, before voting on Thursday on a resolution calling for their immediate and safe return.

Members of the European Parliament will hold the debate with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Wednesday afternoon, and the vote on the resolution is scheduled for Thursday morning. The debate was requested by the Socialists and Democrats group, which says the return of the children must be part of any lasting peace settlement.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, more than 20,000 Ukrainian children have reportedly been forcibly transferred or deported to Russia or to Russian-occupied territory. In March 2023 the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the unlawful deportation and transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine.

What the resolution demands

The resolution is expected to call on Russia to disclose the names, locations and wellbeing of every deported child, and to grant international organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross full access to them. It will also press the European Union to step up support for efforts to document, locate and repatriate the children.

Thijs Reuten, the Socialists and Democrats' shadow rapporteur on Ukraine, said: “Children are the most vulnerable victims of Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine. We cannot allow this deliberate and barbaric policy of deportation and the stripping of Ukrainian children’s identity through so-called ‘re-education’ to continue.”

The group also wants the EU to help ensure that the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, which documents and tracks cases of deported children, can continue its work.

Peace talks must not forget the children

Reuten warned that attempts by the Trump administration to broker a peace agreement have been silent on the abducted children, calling that unacceptable. “There can be no durable peace without justice,” he said, adding that the EU must help ensure any peace is fair and lasting.

The Parliament's debate comes as MEPs also prepare to discuss further EU sanctions against Russia on Thursday, in response to escalating attacks on Ukraine.