Lords committee meets with Ministerial delegation from Ukraine to discuss the country’s humanitarian situation
Tuesday 25 March 2025
On Wednesday 26 March at 10.30am, the House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee will meet with a Ministerial delegation from Ukraine. The session will focus on the forcible removal of c.20,000 Ukrainian children to Russia or Russian-occupied territories: the ‘Bring Kids Back’ initiative and the wider human rights and humanitarian situation in Ukraine.
It will be available to watch live or on demand at Parliament TV or attend in person in Committee Room 4A, Palace of Westminster.
Giving evidence will be:
- Daria Zarivna, Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and Operations Director at Bring Kids Back UA;
- Mariana Betsa, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister; and
- Mykola Kuleba, Founder of Save Ukraine
Questions will include:
- Could you describe to us the experience of Ukrainian children who have been forcibly deported to Russia or Russian-held territories, the work of ‘Bring Kids Back’, and what progress has been made in returning these children to their parents or guardians?
- What role has the international community played in assisting with the return of the forcibly removed children, and is there any further support you would like it to provide? Is there anything the UK specifically can do to assist?
- What are the main challenges to reintegrating returned children? How is Ukraine seeking to overcome those challenges?
- What discussions, if any, are taking place with the Trump Administration about ensuring that the return of and support for these children, as well as Russian accountability, features in the peace negotiations?
- What impact is the targeting of critical national infrastructure by Russia having on the Ukrainian civilian population? How are the Ukrainian authorities and the international community responding to the humanitarian needs this is creating?
