Trump, EU chief von der Leyen discuss plight of children in war
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US President Donald Trump and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said they spoke about missing children due to conflict.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Aug 18 that they spoke about missing children due to conflict as Mr Trump hosted European and Nato leaders in Washington to discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Mr Trump’s wife Melania had raised the plight of children in Ukraine and Russia in a personal letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin
Mr Trump hand-delivered that letter to Mr Putin.
Mr Trump and the European leader “have been discussing the massive worldwide problem of missing children”, the US President said on social media late on Aug 18, without mentioning any particular country in his post.
“This is, likewise, a big subject with my wife, Melania.”
Ukraine has called the abductions of tens of thousands of its children taken to Russia or Russian-occupied territory without the consent of family or guardians a war crime that meets the UN treaty definition of genocide.
Moscow previously said it has been protecting vulnerable children from a war zone.
The United Nations Human Rights Office has said Russia has inflicted suffering on millions of Ukrainian children and violated their rights since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“The human cost of this war must end. And that means every single Ukrainian child abducted by Russia must be returned to their families,” Dr von der Leyen said on social media platform X, in reference to her discussion with Mr Trump.
Images of suffering children during Russia’s war in Ukraine and Israel’s war in Gaza have caused alarm around the world, including the visuals of starving kids
The plight of children left devastated by years of violence in Syria has also sparked outrage. REUTERS
