No peace deal with Russia should be finalized without the return of nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia. That’s the core message of a new bipartisan resolution introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).
The resolution, co-sponsored by Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), John Fetterman (D-Penn.), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.), strongly condemns Russia’s abduction and forced transfer of Ukrainian children.
The legislation highlights how Russia’s invasion has exacerbated the risks of human trafficking, exploitation, child labor, sexual violence, hunger, injury, trauma, and death for children.
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Grassley blasted Russia’s actions as an attempt to “brainwash and Russify” these children, destroying 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 stated.
“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,” said Senator Klobuchar.
Ukrainian authorities have documented at least 19,546 confirmed reports of unlawful deportations and forced transfers of Ukrainian children to Russia, Belarus, or Russian-occupied territories.
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The primary aim of these abductions is to erase the children’s Ukrainian names, language, and identity. As of April 16, only 1,274 abducted children have been successfully returned.
The resolution also draws attention to the U.S. State Department’s 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report, which identifies Russia as recruiting or using child soldiers, having a state-sponsored policy of human trafficking, and being among the world’s worst hubs for human trafficking.
This bipartisan effort builds on an April letter from forty religious leaders to President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which similarly called for the repatriation of the abducted children.
“Ukraine’s kidnapped kids are counting on Congress and President Trump to insist that Moscow free them. Full stop,” said Ambassador John Herbst, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center and former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. “According to available data, Russia has abducted more than 19,400 Ukrainian children since 2022—an outrageous crime. Freeing Ukraine’s children should be a prerequisite to any negotiations, and I thank President Trump for expressing his desire to help free Ukraine’s children.”
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Razom for Ukraine, a leading U.S. nonprofit dedicated to supporting Ukraine, has endorsed the resolution.
“This is an important step in President Donald Trump’s March 19 promise to ensure Ukrainian children abducted by Russia are returned to their families. By kidnapping over 19,546 children from Ukraine, Russia is simultaneously erasing these children’s identities as Ukrainians while holding them hostage. The United States must say clearly that children are not bargaining chips and must be returned immediately,” Razom said in an emailed statement.
Grassley has consistently been a vocal critic of Russia’s aggression. He has condemned Russia’s “inhumane” assault on Ukraine, compared Putin’s actions to Stalin’s, and called for a Ukrainian victory to prevent future Russian aggression.
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