US President Donald Trump has pledged to help Ukraine return thousands of children abducted by Russia. The president, who is pushing for an end to the war in Ukraine, spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a day after speaking with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Rights activists say Russian forces have taken many children from orphanages or centers for disabled youth and from poor families. “Trump asked Zelensky about children who have been missing from Ukraine during the war and those who have been abducted,” a joint statement from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said.
“President Trump has pledged to work with both sides to ensure that these children are returned home,” he said. Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab is searching for missing children, but it has lost significant funding from the US government after Trump slashed foreign aid.
US State Department spokesman Tommy Bruce acknowledged the funding cuts and rejected the “conspiracy theory” that the project’s data was deleted. Defending the cuts, Bruce said, “The only way to achieve the goal is to not cut funding and maintain the status quo.” He said US President Trump is now addressing the issue through his diplomacy.
“I think it’s a pretty clear signal that we can still work on important issues and address them without a fixed structure in place,” Bruce said. According to the Humanitarian Research Lab, of the more than 19,000 children taken to Russia, only 1,236 have returned. The group says more than 8,400 children from Ukraine have been transferred to 43 child protection centers in Russia or Russian-controlled areas and 13 in Belarus.
The group’s research shows that the children often experience abuse, inadequate food, and are often given military training inspired by Russia. Russia has denied any wrongdoing, describing its work as a humanitarian program to adopt orphaned children. A bipartisan group of US lawmakers said they had reason to believe the data in the Depository had been permanently deleted.
“If true, this would have devastating consequences,” the letter, led by Democratic Representative Greg Landsman, said. The letter, addressed to US Secretary of State Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, also said the Yale project currently does not have access to critical satellite imagery.
