The Power Within: The Kyiv Independent’s first-ever magazine. Be among the first to get it.

pre-order now
Skip to content
Edit post

FT: Saudi Arabia, Turkey seek to negotiate return of abducted Ukrainian children

by Martin Fornusek July 18, 2023 3:25 PM 1 min read
Two Ukrainian children returned from Russian captivity and reunited with their mother on July 6. (Ombudsman Dnytro Lubenets/Telegram)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Saudi Arabia and Turkey are trying to broker a deal to repatriate Ukrainian children abducted and forcibly deported to Russia, the Financial Times (FT) reported on July 18, citing four undisclosed sources.

Although officials in Kyiv and Moscow are compiling lists of the deported children as part of the mediation process, the two sides refuse to communicate with each other directly, requiring the intervention of third parties, the FT wrote.

According to the outlet, the talks have been ongoing for several months and involve Roman Abramovich, a Russian oligarch who has previously played a role in various negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

Ankara and Riyadh have sought to play the role of peacemakers between the warring parties. Both countries have negotiated several prisoner exchanges, and Turkey helped to broker the Black Sea Grain Initiative, terminated by Russia on July 17.

As the FT commented, Turkey and Saudi Arabia hope that the talks on the repatriation of children could evolve into peace talks aimed at ending the war.

Over 19,500 children have been abducted by Russia since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, according to the Ukrainian national database Children of War. Thousands are unaccounted for.

Ukraine has so far managed to return 385 Ukrainian children deported by Russia in an ongoing operation.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants on March 17 against Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Russian official Maria Lvova-Belova for organizing the deportations.

News Feed

5:30 AM

Trump says he may meet Putin 'shortly' after May Middle East visit.

Despite ongoing ceasefire negotiations, Trump and Putin have yet to have direct contact, communicating only through their officials. Trump's last in-person encounter with his Russian counterpart was during the 2018 Helsinki Summit during the U.S. president's first term.
8:08 PM

Ukrainians react to US proposal of recognizing Crimea as Russian.

The U.S. media outlet Axios reported on April 23 that the U.S. President Donald Trump administration's final proposal for ending the Russia-Ukraine war included the U.S. de jure recognizing Russia's annexation of Crimea and de facto recognizing its control of other occupied Ukrainian territories. We asked Kyiv residents for their reactions to the U.S. proposal.
7:21 PM  (Updated: )

Trump says 'nobody is asking' Ukraine to recognize Crimea as Russian.

"Nobody is asking (President Volodymyr) Zelensky to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory, but if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?" U.S. President Donald Trump wrote.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.