A coalition of faith groups, including the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, has called for Russia to return nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children taken since it began its invasion of Ukraine.
In a letter sent to President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week, the coalition addressed reports that Russian forces had taken almost 20,000 children from Ukraine since they invaded the Eastern European nation in 2022.
“These children, ranging in age from four months to 17 years old, have been subjected to political re-education, military training, and forced assimilation into Russian society,” reads the letter.
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“Many have been placed in Russian families, illegally adopted, and had their birth certificates altered to erase their Ukrainian identities. The Russian government has denied Ukrainian children access to their families, subjected them to physical abuse, and failed to provide them with adequate food and care.”
The letter was spearheaded by Myal Greene, the president of the Evangelical humanitarian organization World Relief, an arm of the National Association of Evangelicals. Signatories have diverse theological and political persuasions, including Christian conservatives and progressives.
Signatories include NAE President Walter Kim, Institute on Religion and Democracy President Mark Tooley, former Obama-era Ambassador Susan Jacobs, Sharon Willis of Our Daily Bread Ministries, Travis Weber of the Family Research Council, Daniel Darling of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Rev. Rona Tyndall of the United Church of Christ, among others.
The groups implored the Trump administration to make the return of the children to Ukraine a key part of the ongoing peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
“No peace deal should be finalized until Ukraine’s children are returned home,” they continued. “We urge you, as leaders of the free world, to ensure that Ukraine’s children are returned home without precondition in advance of peace talks.”
“Ukraine’s children must not be used as bargaining chips in geopolitical negotiations. Their safety, dignity, and right to be reunited with their families must be non-negotiable.”
ERLC President Brent Leatherwood told Baptist Press on Tuesday that “Christians are compelled to speak out on behalf of the vulnerable, here and abroad, and that includes calling out the grave injustice facing Ukraine’s children.”
“The forced deportation and abuse of over 19,000 children is evil and a violation of their inherent dignity and rights,” Leatherwood said. “We must not allow these children to be used as pawns in geopolitical negotiations.”
“It is our moral and legal responsibility to ensure their safe return to their families, without preconditions, before any peace agreement is made. I call upon President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to lead with courage and moral clarity to secure their freedom.”
On Feb. 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine under the pretext of supporting a pro-Russian independence movement in the eastern part of the country. Ukrainian forces put up stiffer-than-expected resistance, receiving considerable military support and financial aid from the United States and several European powers.
Since taking office, Trump has promised to bring an end to the conflict. However, a tense in-person meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February at the White House made many question how successful Trump would be.
Last month, Trump reported securing a 30-day ceasefire limited to not attacking energy infrastructure, with the U.S. president saying that he had a “very good” phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart.
