Baerbock: The one who wants peace must first return kidnapped Ukrainian children
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, during her visit to Kyiv, called on Vladimir Putin to agree to an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine, and noted that the first step to building trust would be the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.
"That is why I am making an urgent appeal today: whoever kidnaps children and abuses them as weapons of war obviously does not want peace. Whoever wants to make it clear that he wants peace and is ready for it must first return these kidnapped children," she said at a joint press conference with her Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiha in Kyiv on Tuesday.
Baerbock emphasized that sanctions against the Russian Federation cannot be lifted without peace, and "the first step to building trust would be the simplest and easiest - to return the kidnapped children."
She also recalled that Germany supported the creation of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
"We helped initiate the warrant in connection with the kidnapping of children. And we will continue to go down this path, because just peace is also justice for the victims," she emphasized.
Speaking about a potential minerals agreement between Ukraine and the USA, Baerbock said the Europeans have long had an agreement with Ukraine on rare earth minerals, and "all other agreements that may be concluded in the future must comply with European law."
"After all, this is our European continent. And we, of course, also discuss this accordingly with all interested parties," she noted.
As reported by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Sybiha also personally presented Baerbock with the Minister's Award For Assistance to Ukraine's Diplomatic Efforts as recognition of her contribution to consolidating international support for our country. Sybiha, for the first time as head of the Foreign Ministry, personally met his foreign colleague at the railway station, which was a special sign of respect and gratitude. Baerbock made her ninth visit to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's full-scale aggression.
