European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday thanked US President Donald Trump for his efforts to help return children abducted from Ukraine.
In a statement posted on X, von der Leyen thanked Trump for "his clear commitment today to ensuring these children are reunited with their loved ones."
"The human cost of this war must end. And that means every single Ukrainian child abducted by Russia must be returned to their families," she said after a meeting in the White House with Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders.
Earlier, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he had discussed the "massive Worldwide problem of missing children."
He said this was an important issue for him and first lady Melania Trump. It was "at the top of all list," he added, and "the World will work together to solve it, hopefully bringing them home to their families."
At the start of his talks at the White House on Monday, Zelensky handed over a letter from his wife Olena to Melania Trump, thanking her for having written to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the abducted Ukrainian children.
According to Ukrainian figures, more than 19,000 children and young people have been abducted from territories occupied by Russia.
During direct negotiations with Russia in Istanbul in July, Kiev presented a list demanding the return of 339 minors to Ukraine.
Russia has repeatedly denied the allegations, which are also the basis of an international arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against Putin.
Moscow has also declared its willingness to investigate the cases in question. Numerous children have reportedly returned to Ukrainian custody.
