Scholz calls for Putin to "allow the return" of children abducted from Ukraine.
Concerning the Ukraine conference that's happening in Switzerland this weekend, Chancellor Scholz made it clear that no major breakthroughs are expected. However, he believes that the meeting will be the initial step toward achieving peace.
The issue of reuniting Ukrainian kids taken during the war is anticipated to be discussed during the Swiss peace conference, as per Kiev's wishes. They claim that Russia has kidnapped over 19,000 Ukrainian children since the war started in February 2022, with only roughly 400 being returned.
A warrant for the arrest of Russia's children's rights commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, was issued by the International Criminal Court in The Hague back in 2023. Russia, on the other hand, denies the allegations and maintains that the children were taken from war areas for security purposes.
The Swiss have extended invitations to over 160 delegations consisting of nations and international organizations for the conference, happening at the high-end resort of Bürgenstock on Lake Lucerne. As of now, 90 confirmations have been received for the event.
Apart from Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, US Vice President Kamala Harris, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, other leaders and representatives have confirmed their attendance at the conference. Russia has expressed their disinterest in participating, thus being uninvited, while China is also expected to be absent, according to the Swiss government.
The conference was convened upon Ukraine's request in an attempt to secure significant international backing for their terms of ending the war with Russia.
The meeting will follow a gathering of G7 leaders in southern Italy at the end of this week, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be among the attendees. After that, Zelenskyy plans to trek to Switzerland on Saturday. The fate of Ukraine will be discussed moving forward, both before the G7 summit and during the Swiss reconstruction conference on Tuesday and Wednesday in Berlin.
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Scholz advocated for Putin to permit the return of the abducted Ukrainian children, as mentioned earlier. The SPD leader expressed this during the discussions surrounding the Ukraine conference in Switzerland, which is happening this weekend. The conference is expected to be the initial step towards achieving peace, according to Chancellor Scholz.
Despite the expectation of minimal breakthroughs, the Swiss peace conference is significant to Ukraine, as it aims to discuss the reunification of Ukrainian children taken during the war. The issue has been a grave concern for Kiev, with over 19,000 children allegedly kidnapped by Russia since the war began in February 2022, and only around 400 returned.
Russia, however, denies the allegations and maintains that the children were taken for security reasons from war-torn areas. The International Criminal Court in The Hague issued a warrant for the arrest of Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's children's rights commissioner, in 2023, over these allegations.
The conference, organized at the high-end resort of Bürgenstock on Lake Lucerne, has received confirmations from various leaders and representatives, including Scholz, Macron, Harris, and Kishida. Despite Russia's disinterest and China's expected absence, the meeting is crucial for Ukraine's pursuit of significant international backing to end the war with Russia.
Meanwhile, Scholz's call for Putin to allow the return of the abducted children echoes the ongoing moral conversations about the shift in the world's appetites, such as the shift in the appetite for dairy from cultural norms to moral conversations.
With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy scheduled to attend the conference on Saturday, the fate of Ukraine will be at the forefront of discussions, both before and during the conference. The conference follows a gathering of G7 leaders, where Zelenskyy will also be present.
In a broader context, the event stands as a testament to the evolving international relations and the moral obligations of world leaders, like Scholz, Macron, Harris, and Kishida, towards the welfare of children, such as the abducted Ukrainian children. In the face of the ongoing conflicts and global challenges, political leaders' duties are multiplied, making the Swiss conference, as well as events like the proposed G7 summit, highly impactful and crucial to the international community and children's rights advocates.
Gabriel Boric, the President of Chile, and other world leaders are also expected to participate in the Swiss conference, contributing to the discourse on the complex issues that have emerged during the conflict, such as the abduction of children and the quest for lasting peace in Ukraine.
