President Zelenskyy, dear Volodymyr,
Prime Minister Carney, Mark,
Of all the horrors unleashed by Russias war, none cuts deeper than the abduction of children. Olena, as you have said, tens of thousands of boys and girls are trapped in Russia. They are not statistics. Each and every one is a child. And behind every abduction is a family in torment. Diana, you also said, and I thank you for that, there are moments of hope. You described the story of Illia. And there are other stories. So we can do something. I want to take my time to focus on where we can support. We will not rest until Ukraines children are home. But I know the needs at home are also enormous.
Volodymyr and Olena,
That is why I am delighted to announce today that we are ready to make available some EUR 200 million for the provision of school meals. You told me how important that is, and I am happy to support here.
Let me briefly focus on the abducted children trapped in a foreign land. We want to support here, and that is why we are funding your prosecutors office. So that families can see that justice is done. That is why, with UNICEF, we are investing more than EUR 10 million. So that when children return, they are not only welcomed, but helped to heal, to learn, to dream again of a future. That is why we have sanctioned more than 50 individuals complicit in these crimes. And more will follow. But this fight is not Ukraines alone. It requires the worlds resolve, to maximise pressure on Russia. That is why the EU is joining the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. We are delighted and honoured to host a high-level international summit to put these children at the top of the worlds agenda.
Thank you. Slava Ukraini.
