LAST UPDATE | 23 Sep

IRELAND HAS PLEDGED its support to a UN coalition to get 20,000 Ukrainian children forcibly removed back from Russia. 

Taoiseach Micheál Martin joined Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at an event advocating for the return of thousands of children from Ukraine following its full scale invasion.

The convening of leaders, which included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, aimed to explore concrete steps to returning the Ukrainian children home. 

Russia’s large-scale deportation of Ukrainian children from their homes is part of planned efforts to erase Ukrainian identity, attendees were told today. These children face Russian “re-education,” which was described today as an attack on their nationality and coercion to accept Russian citizenship.

Many of these ‘stolen children’ are forcibly adopted by Russian people who are strangers to them. 

Today, Olena Zelenska, the First Lady of Ukraine, recounted a number of the children’s stories at the United Nations. 

Russia's actions are endeavouring to destroy the future of Ukraine.

And they cannot be allowed to succeed - there has to be accountability. pic.twitter.com/85shgpiEAU

— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) September 23, 2025

Quoting former US President John F Kennedy, Micheál Martin told the international coalition that ”children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future”.

“Russia is endeavoring to destroy the future of Ukraine by these actions, and they cannot be allowed to succeed. It’s a chilling crime. There has to be accountability. It is about stealing identity and denial of of childhood and itself. We all have to be unequivocal that the force will transfer of civilians, including children, amounts to a war crime against humanity,” he said. 

He welcomed the International Criminal Court’s decision in 2023 to issue arrest warrants for President Putin, stating this has to be followed through in terms of accountability.

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He called for the return of all forcibly transferred persons.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with his wife Olena at the UN coalition meeting today. DFA DFA

“Ireland is a determined member of the international coalition for the return of Ukrainian children and will do whatever we can to support the return, rehabilitation and integration in line with coalition’s key principles.

“Ireland is also honored to host thousands and thousands of Ukrainian families since the outset of the war, that have chosen to find safe refuge in Ireland, and they are very, very welcome among us and they are ambassadors for your country. We will keep them safe until they can return,” concluded the Taoiseach.