Returning abducted Ukrainian children 'confidence building measure,' Waltz says amid peace talks

U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz sat down with CBS News on March 23 to discuss the upcoming U.S.-led negotiations in Saudi Arabia on ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.

When asked about the goals of the peace talks in Saudi Arabia, Waltz praised the efforts of the Trump administration, noting that there are "technical teams actually with Ukrainians and Russians in the same facility, conducting proximity talks."

Waltz said that the topics of prisoner exchanges and Ukrainian children illegally abducted by Russia will likely be discussed at the peace talks, adding that they will serve as a "confidence building measures" for negotiations.

"President Trump has spoken to both leaders about prisoner exchanges. Both the Russians and Ukrainians exchanged prisoners, nearly 200, immediately following their call. And he's also talked about the future of these children. So that's certainly, first and foremost, and, kind of, confidence building measures," Waltz said.

When asked to clarify whether the Trump team will request "the release of these children as a confidence building measure," Waltz confirmed that the measure is "one of them."

At least 19,500 Ukrainian children have been confirmed as abducted by Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and about 1,200 have been brought home, according to the Ukrainian government's Children of War database.

Waltz also mentioned the recent 30-day ceasefire on energy infrastructure and a pending ceasefire in the Black Sea, that would allow "both sides [to] move grain, fuel, and start conducting trade again."

Russia has repeatedly targeted Black Sea shipping routes since the start of the full-scale invasion. In July 2023, they also pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, further threatening global food security.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova and Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 17, 2023, over the deportation of Ukrainian children.

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The Kyiv IndependentNatalia Yermak