Anand Outlines Canada's Role in Ukrainian Children Coalition

OTTAWA Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand outlined Canada's role in an international coalition aimed at returning Ukrainian children abducted during Russia's invasion, ahead of a summit in Brussels on Monday.

In an interview published Saturday, Anand stressed practical humanitarian actions over legal classifications of the conflict. "For me, the important question is, what are we doing here and now, what are we doing to bring Ukrainian children home," she told reporters. She added that Russia's actions violate international law and that Ottawa will seek accountability through courts.

Canada co-launched the coalition with Ukraine in 2024 to facilitate the children's return. The Brussels meeting, which Canada is co-hosting, will assess progress, explore new funding for identifying and contacting children amid ongoing fighting, and review evidence collection for potential prosecutions.

Ukraine and its allies estimate Russia has taken around 20,000 children since the invasion began in 2022, with about 2,000 returned. A Yale University Humanitarian Research Lab report puts the figure higher, at 35,000 children held in Russia, Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, or...