US backs UN demand for Russia to return abducted Ukrainian children

The US has joined 90 other countries at the UN on Wednesday to demand Russia "ensure the immediate, safe and unconditional return of all Ukrainian children who have been forcibly transferred or deported" and urge Moscow to stop the practice.

The adoption of the resolution by the 193-member General Assembly came a day after US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin for talks on how to end the deadliest European conflict since World War Two.

Russia urged countries to oppose the UN resolution, which was drafted by Ukraine, Canada and the European Union.

"Each vote for the resolution is support for lies, war and confrontation. Every vote against is a vote for peace," Russia's Deputy UN Ambassador Maria Zabolotskaya told the General Assembly ahead of the vote.

Russia and 11 other countries voted against the resolution, while 57 countries abstained. General Assembly resolutions are not binding but carry weight as a reflection of the global view.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Ukraine accuses Russia of abducting tens of thousands of its children to Russia or Russian-occupied territory without the consent of family or guardians. Previously Moscow has said it has been protecting vulnerable children from a war zone.

US first lady Melania Trump has made the repatriation of Ukrainian children from Russia a priority. In October she said that she had secured an open line of communication with Putin and that some children had been returned to their families with more to be reunited soon.

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant in March 2023 for Putin, accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. Russia denounced the move as "outrageous and unacceptable".