Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., are considering legislation that would designate Russia and Belarus as state sponsors of terrorism over the kidnapping of Ukrainian children.
The bill cites media reports and Ukrainian government estimates that tens of thousands of children have been taken or displaced since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a source familiar with the proposed legislation told NBC News.
“The Russian Federation has kidnapped, deported, or displaced Ukrainian children as young as a few months to 17-year-olds, according to reliable reports. [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin’s regime seeks the ‘Russification’ of Ukrainian children through kidnapping, deportation, or displacement to destroy their Ukrainian identity,” the draft states. “The Russian puppet state, the Republic of Belarus, has directly supported the kidnapping of Ukrainian children and supported their relocation.”
If enacted, the bill would give Russia 60 days to show that the missing children “have been reunited with their families or guardians in a secure environment; and the process of full reintegration of such children into Ukrainian society is underway.”
If not, the legislation directs Secretary of State Marco Rubio to designate both countries as state sponsors of terrorism.
Blumenthal and Graham presented Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with a copy of the draft during a meeting in Rome last month.
Zelenskyy said last week that any peace agreement with Russia must include a promise to return abducted Ukrainian children.
“We cannot reach an agreement with [Russia] on the return of children,” he said. “We negotiate through other countries that carry out mediation missions. The most successful have been the Qataris. So far, they’ve been helping us.”
The group Save Ukraine reports that more than 19,500 children have been taken from Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022.
Concerns about the abduction and displacement of Ukrainian children have also been raised outside Congress. While in Alaska on Friday, former President Donald Trump gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a letter from first lady Melania Trump urging the return of the children.
On Saturday, leaders of eight Baltic countries issued a joint statement calling for the return of displaced Ukrainian children.
“We demand that Russia urgently return children who have been abducted from occupied territories,” they wrote.
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