Ukraine wants Swiss help to free abducted children

National Council President Riniker visits Ukraine for several days Keystone-SDA

The president of the Swiss House of Representatives has arrived in Ukraine on a visit that will focus on dialogue with the parliament in Kiev.

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Maja Riniker also wants to find out about the situation more than three years after the Russian invasion.

Riniker was received in Kiev by Ruslan Stefanchuk, President of the Ukrainian parliament Verkhovna Rada. Stefanchuk had visited Bern last year. Riniker also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday.

Zelensky expressed his gratitude for Switzerland’s financial support and his hope that Bern would join the efforts to free the Ukrainian children abducted to Russia.

According to Amnesty International, the Ukrainian authorities are aware of 20,000 cases of deported children who are known by name and have not yet been returned, but assume that the number of unreported cases is much higher.

Putin wanted for child deportation

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who gave the order for the military invasion of Ukraine, has been wanted as a war criminal by the International Criminal Court in The Hague since March 2023. According to the court, this arrest warrant is based on the well-founded suspicion that Putin is responsible for the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.

Riniker’s talks with Stefanchuk centred on the current war situation, international support for the country and the humanitarian needs of the population affected by the war.

During talks with Stefanchuk and other representatives of the Ukrainian parliament, Riniker reaffirmed Switzerland’s willingness to work towards a sustainable and just peace based on the United Nations Charter and to continue to contribute to the search for a diplomatic solution through its good offices.

Riniker will be accompanied by parliamentarian Laurent Wehrli, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee at the House of Representatives.

Swiss projects

Riniker wants to find out about Swiss projects on the ground that promote the protection of civilians, access to education and the strengthening of local structures through reform processes.

By the end of May 2025, the Swiss Confederation had provided around CHF5.16 billion to support people affected by the war in Ukraine and Switzerland. From 2025 to 2036, Ukraine will receive a further CHF5 billion in support.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, several million Ukrainians have fled the attacks. In July, almost four million were displaced within Ukraine and almost six million outside their country. There were recently almost 70,000 refugees from Ukraine living in Switzerland.

Translated from German by DeepL/mga

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