Overview
- Sens. Lindsey Graham and Brian Schatz are planning a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Russia’s alleged removal of Ukrainian children and intend to invite Ambassador Alexander Darchiev, though no date is set and attendance cannot be compelled.
- The Russian Embassy in Washington said it would not participate, described the initiative as a provocation, and asserted openness only to case-by-case reunifications it can verify.
- Moscow disputed widely cited figures, dismissing claims of tens of thousands taken and citing a Ukrainian list it says does not exceed 339, while independent assessments have identified at least 20,000 cases.
- Ukraine’s ambassador in Washington said Kyiv is preparing to take part in the hearings and praised the bipartisan push as focusing attention on returning deported children.
- The issue is tied to ICC arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova and to a Graham-backed bill to designate Russia a State Sponsor of Terrorism unless all abducted children are returned, which advanced in committee but faces uncertain prospects without presidential support.