Razom for Ukraine fully endorses the Senate resolution introduced today by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) calling for the unconditional return of abducted Ukrainian children to their families before any peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is finalized. Razom urges all Senators to cosponsor this critical resolution and calls for its swift adoption.

This bipartisan resolution is an important step in fulfilling 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.

Americans overwhelmingly agree that President Trump should prioritize freeing Ukrainian children from Russian captivity. This resolution builds on the momentum generated by an April 3 joint letter from faith leaders such as the Family Research Council and National Association of Evangelicals calling  on President Trump to ensure these children are reunited with their families in Ukraine before a peace deal is finalized. Many of the signatories to that letter have endorsed this resolution.

Russia’s program of mass child abduction is one of the gravest horrors of this war, and the United States can save these children. Earlier this month, Razom brought Mykola Kuleba, the founder of Save Ukraine—a Ukrainian NGO responsible for freeing over 800 children from Russia—as well as a young Ukrainian boy who they helped escape from Russia, to Washington so members of Congress could hear firsthand about the horrors of Russian abduction. After meeting with them, Senator Rick Scott and Senator John Fetterman immediately agreed to co-sponsor this resolution.

We are confident that more Senators will soon join their colleagues as cosponsors of this resolution, and that a companion resolution will be introduced in the House of Representatives. This is a significant effort to urge the White House to hold Russia accountable for its war crimes against Ukrainian children and ensure they are not abandoned.

Razom for Ukraine urges Congress to swiftly pass this resolution and send a clear signal not only that Vladimir Putin will be held accountable for his abduction of Ukrainian children, but that the families broken up by Russia’s invaders will one day be reunited.

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For media inquiries or other questions, please contact Ostap Yarysh at ostap.yarysh@razomforukraine.org. Razom (“together” in Ukrainian) is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to helping build a more secure, democratic and prosperous Ukraine. Razom has provided over $188 million worth of medical and humanitarian aid since February 24, 2022. More information is available at RazomForUkraine.org.