The European Commission jointly with Poland and with the assistance of the United Nations agencies is launching an initiative aimed at returning Ukrainian children abducted by the Russian forces during the war and bringing those responsible for this crime to justice.

Representative of the European Commission Dana Spinant announced the initiative in Brussels on Monday.

"You are aware of the dramatic situation of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia and sent to Russia for adoption. Indeed, since the start of the invasion, it is estimated that Russian forces have sent thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia. The abduction of Ukrainian children is a great social problem, a tragedy, and a crime. This is why together with Poland we are launching this initiative with the support of the United Nations agencies to address this tragic situation. The aim is indeed to join forces, to collect evidence so that the abducted children can be found and those responsible for the crime are brought to justice," she said.

According to Spinant, the initiative will be led by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki.

"We will announce in the following days more details about this initiative," she said.