First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, First Lady of France Brigitte Macron, and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot took part in a meeting held within the framework of the President of Ukraine’s initiative, Bring Kids Back UA.
Around 150 participants attended, including representatives of France’s political circles, the diplomatic corps, international organizations, businesses, the philanthropic community, mayors, regional leaders, and cultural figures.
The President’s wife emphasized that, as of today, Ukraine has been able to return 1,859 children home. To search for and return abducted young Ukrainians, our state, together with its partners, established the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. It now includes 42 countries, the European Union, the Council of Europe, and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
“But support is needed even after rescue. After a child physically returns home, psychological and social return is still required. For this purpose, we are developing mental health support programs in Ukraine, and the government has introduced special assistance for every returned child,” Olena Zelenska said.
The First Lady urged all those who care to join efforts to help Ukrainian children.
“Returning children from captivity is not about politics. It is about our ability to empathize, to support the defenseless, to uphold justice, and to respond to flagrant violations of human rights and the rights of the child,” the President’s wife added.
The meeting also included a presentation of the key areas of activity within Bring Kids Back UA: the search for and identification of deported and forcibly displaced children, their return, psychological support for families, and models of reintegration and rehabilitation that Ukraine is implementing with international partners.
France will deepen its support for Ukraine and contribute to the development of reintegration programs. The French government, as well as municipal and regional authorities, have undertaken a series of commitments to further assist in rehabilitating children who faced deportation and occupation. Jean-Noël Barrot announced that, with the support of the French government, a rehabilitation center for children returned from Russia will be opened in Cherkasy. The city of Nantes signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Kherson, creating new opportunities to support Ukrainian children affected by Russian aggression. As part of this cooperation, 30 children, including orphans, have already been accepted into wellness and reintegration programs. A representative of the Île-de-France region announced a decision to provide 400 school buses to the Kyiv region, improving safe access to education and supporting the restoration of educational infrastructure.