The Financial Times reported on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia and Turkey are attempting to mediate an agreement to return Ukrainian children to their homeland after they were taken to Russia and placed in care facilities or with Russian families. The newspaper cited four sources familiar with the discussions, stating that talks have been ongoing for several months, with former Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich involved in the mediation efforts.
It was noted that officials from Kyiv and Moscow are working on compiling lists of the children who have been transferred to Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called on world leaders to assist in bringing back these children.
As of now, Russian and Turkish officials have not responded to requests for comments, and Saudi Arabia has also not commented on the Financial Times report. According to estimates from Kyiv, nearly 19,500 children have been moved to Russia or the Russian-occupied Crimea since the invasion began last year, which Ukraine condemns as illegal deportations. Official Ukrainian data indicates that only 385 children have been returned so far. Moscow, which controls large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine, denies allegations of abducting children and asserts that they were relocated for their safety.
