Qatar to return three Ukrainian children from Russia - media

16.10.2023 13:10

Ukrinform

Three Ukrainian children who had been taken to Russia are to be released to Qatari diplomats in Moscow this week under a mechanism Qatar has set-up with the goal of returning many more children from Russia to Ukraine.

This was reported by Reuters citing a Qatari official informed of the plans, Ukrinform reported.

Qatar on Friday facilitated the return of another Ukrainian child, aged 7, who was reunited with his grandmother and is en route to Ukraine via Estonia, the official said.

The other three children are a boy aged 2, a 9-year-old boy, and a girl aged 17. Qatari diplomats will accompany the children before they return to Ukraine.

The return of these first four children tests a system the Gulf Arab state established after months of secret talks with Moscow and Kyiv, according to the Qatari official.

Qatar's minister of state for international cooperation, Lolwah Al Khater, confirmed the mediation in a statement and described this week's repatriations as "only a first step".

Ukrinform asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine for a comment on this issue.

As reported, in July, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that the state of Qatar was ready to assist in the return of illegally exported Ukrainian children from the Russian Federation.