Cuts in US foreign aid and sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration against the International Criminal Court are hampering efforts to track down thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia during the full-scale war.
This was stated by Thordis Gylfadóttir, the Council of Europe’s special representative on the return of abducted Ukrainian children, in an interview with Politico on the sidelines of a security forum in Aspen, USA, Ukrinform reports.
Gylfadóttir noted that in March, the Trump administration stopped funding monitoring programs implemented by Yale University and other institutions as part of a general freeze on foreign aid. Despite the State Department’s announcement of a short-term resumption of funding, Secretary of State Marco Rubio subsequently reversed that decision.
“We cannot stop tracking and then simply resume it in a few months. This process must continue,” she stressed.
At the same time, despite financial difficulties, some organizations manage to continue monitoring. In particular, the humanitarian research laboratory at the Yale University School of Public Health planned to cut staff working with Ukrainian children on July 1, but private donations made it possible to continue the work until October.
Gylfadóttir noted that Europe must find ways to compensate for the lost funding, as information about where the children were taken is critical to their return after the war ends.
In addition, US sanctions against the ICC make it difficult to hold Russia accountable for Russian crimes, the special representative added.
“People are wary of working with fundamentally independent courts that uphold the global legal order and international law because they fear repercussions from the US administration,” she said.
Gylfadóttir stressed that “the return of children is an integral part of a just peace.”
As reported, since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Russia has forcibly deported about 20,000 Ukrainian children, which is a war crime.
In February this year, the Trump administration imposed sanctions against the ICC in response to its investigation into possible war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza. Following the announcement of the sanctions, cooperation between US agencies and the international court on investigations into Russia’s actions was suspended.
Illustrative photo: bring kids back
Source: Council of Europe says reduced US aid harms return of deported Ukrainian children
