Overview

• The Ukraine Conflict Observatory, which tracks war crimes including the abduction of over 30,000 Ukrainian children, has received six weeks of temporary funding from the Trump administration.
• The funding allows for the transfer of critical evidence, including detailed data on abducted children, to Europol for use in prosecuting Russian officials and aiding Ukraine's repatriation efforts.
• This decision follows bipartisan pressure from U.S. lawmakers and advocacy groups after the program's termination in January 2025 raised concerns about the potential loss of vital evidence.
• The observatory's work contributed to the International Criminal Court's 2023 arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova over the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.
• While the program's short-term funding is secured, its future remains unclear, with calls for European governments to assume financial responsibility for its continuation.