Joly makes surprise visit to Ukraine to announce child repatriation initiative

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is making a surprise visit to Ukraine as the two-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches.

During her trip, she is expected to announce a new initiative to address the forced deportation of children by the Russian military.

Estimates of the number of children taken by Russia since its full-scale invasion began in 2022 range in the thousands.

“Children cannot be used as pawns in war. In their faces, we see our humanity and Canada is proud to lead the effort alongside Ukraine to ensure their return home to Ukraine,” Joly said in a media statement announcing her trip. She is expected to make the formal announcement in Ukraine today.

As part of the initiative, Canada will offer “technical expertise and resources” to help repatriate Ukrainian children, the press release said.

Last March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the country’s children’s commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for the unlawful deportation and transfer of children.

The Canadian government recently announced that it’s contributing another $35 million worth of military equipment to Ukraine.

February 24 will mark two years since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.