Thank you, Mr. President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of Lithuania, Poland, and my own country, Ukraine. We thank for the Office`s comprehensive reports.

Despite global efforts, Ukrainian children continue to face unimaginable horrors caused by Russia’s war. Recently, strikes on peaceful cities have brought devastating losses.

Only in Kyiv: on 1 August, a massive attack killed five children, the youngest just two years old; on 28 August, a strike took the lives of four more and left over ten injured; on 7 September, a mother and her three-month-old son were among the victims.

Russia’s systematic attacks on residential areas, schools, and playgrounds constitute grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. Ukrainian children are not merely victims of war - they are being deliberately targeted, abducted, indoctrinated, and deprived of family, education, and safety.

We welcome the decision to keep the Russian armed forces and affiliated groups on the Secretary-General’s list of grave violators, and on behalf of the victims, call for accountability of the aggressor for the crimes committed and for justice to be served.

We therefore invite all States to join the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. Together, we can ensure their safe repatriation, rehabilitation, and justice.

Thank you.