Kiev has turned the accusations into a show for “soft-hearted Europeans,” Moscow’s top negotiator has said

FILE PHOTO. © Sputnik / Konstantin Mihalchevskiy

Ukraine must stop making false claims about alleged “child kidnapping,” which it uses to stage a media show aimed at “soft-hearted Europeans,” Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Russia’s delegation at the Istanbul talks, has said.

Medinsky made the remarks following the second round of negotiations with Kiev’s delegation on Monday. He told journalists that Ukraine had submitted a list of 339 children affected by the conflict.

“This list shows, unfortunately, that the Ukrainian authorities have staged a show,” he said. “In reality, we are talking about dozens of children – none of whom were abducted. Not a single one. These are children saved by our soldiers, at the risk of their own lives, pulled from combat zones and evacuated.”

“We are looking for their parents,” he added. “When parents are found, we return them.”

According to Medinsky, Russia has returned 101 children to Ukraine in recent months, while Kiev has returned 22.

 

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Moscow evacuates children from the conflict zone to save their lives and endeavours to return them to their families, Medinsky explained. Kiev nevertheless has persisted with accusations of kidnapping, which are not borne out by the actual numbers, he said.

The Russian authorities have also stressed that displaced children are not adopted in Russia, and that they are only put under guardianship or foster care to make sure they are taken care of before a return to their families can be facilitated.

“This shameful PR campaign must end,” Medinsky said.

“Every child will eventually be reunited with their parents. All families will be brought back together – on both sides. We are working on it. It is a matter of honor.”