With all eyes on Ukraine following the embattled nation's agreement to pause fighting against Russia, Kurt Volker, a former NATO ambassador and special representative for Ukraine, told Newsmax that the international community has not paid enough attention to the abduction of Ukrainian children.
"This is something remarkable that Russia has done, and there hasn't been enough international attention," Volker said Tuesday on "American Agenda." "They have abducted tens of thousands of Ukrainian children and moved them to Russia, put them in orphanages or put them in homes of people, and are re-indoctrinating them to believe that they are Russian rather than Ukrainian and that Ukrainians are Nazis and have attacked Russia, and, therefore, they should be defending Russia. And some of them were in their early teens when they were abducted [and] are now being pushed to serve in Russia's military to fight against their own compatriots."
Kyiv agreed to a 30-day ceasefire in the three-year-long war with Russia, pending Moscow's acceptance of the offer, American and Ukrainian officials said Tuesday after talks in Saudi Arabia. Volker said the latest turn of events is "exactly as it should be."
"After the last 10 days or so, where everything seemed to be backward, we now have it clear that the U.S. and Ukraine are in alignment," he said. "Ukraine wants peace. They're willing to agree to an immediate 30-day ceasefire, and it's over to Russia to see whether Russia is serious about peace. This is where we should have been all along."
Volker disputed the idea that anything needs to be given to Russian President Vladimir Putin to get him to the negotiating table to end the long-running conflict. Russia has captured nearly a fifth of Ukraine's territory in the course of the war.
"I'm not sure that anything needs to be given to Putin," Volker said. "I mean, Putin has attacked Ukraine and seized territory, killed people, abducted children. I'm not sure he should be rewarded for that. I think what we need to do is say, 'Look, Ukraine is ready to stop fighting right now in place. Russia, are you ready to stop?'"
At this time, Volker said it's unclear whether the abducted Ukrainian children will ultimately be allowed to return to their homes, as is being requested by Kyiv.
"It depends on the way this war is settled," he said. "Vladimir Putin has been charged with war crimes based on the abduction of these children, but we don't know how all this will work out. I think Russia is probably going to try to keep all of these children and just say, stop where we are. But if they continue to push or commit more war crimes, I think the demands from Ukraine will continue as well."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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