On 13 August 2025, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mariana Betsa held phone talks with Assistant Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Alexandre Lévêque (Europe, Middle East and Arctic) to discuss the issue of returning Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.

At the outset, Mariana Betsa underlined Ukraine’s unwavering position on achieving a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine, based on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state within its internationally recognized borders.

Mariana Betsa expressed gratitude to the Canadian side for its consistent support for President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s initiative Bring Kids Back UA, as well as for its leadership in the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, co-chaired by Ukraine and Canada. 

Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine stressed the need to swiftly identify practical mechanisms to ensure the return of Ukrainian children.

Alexandre Lévêque reaffirmed Canada’s determination to further strengthening its role on the global stage in advocating for the return Ukrainian children.

The parties emphasized the importance of the Coalition’s joint statement of 5 August, which contains a clear demand to the Russian Federation to immediately and unconditionally return 339 Ukrainian children, whose list was handed over during negotiations in Istanbul on 2 June 2025. The document was supported by 38 countries, as well as the Council of Europe and the EU. The Statement became an important step in consolidating international efforts aimed at the unconditional return of the deported children. In this context, the participants discussed the issue of convening next plenary meeting of the Coalition.

The interlocutors also discussed the need for a coordinated communication strategy to keep the issue of abducted Ukrainian children at the center of global attention, in particular within the framework of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.