UNITED NATIONS, United States: The UN General Assembly on Wednesday called for the immediate and unconditional return of Ukrainian children “forcibly transferred” to Russia — a delicate issue as Kyiv and Moscow try to negotiate an end to the fighting.
The assembly adopted the non-binding resolution by a vote of 91-12, with 57 abstentions. Russia was among the states rejecting the measure.
The resolution “demands that the Russian Federation ensure the immediate, safe and unconditional return of all Ukrainian children who have been forcibly transferred or deported.”
It also calls on Moscow to “cease, without delay, any further practice of forcible transfer, deportation, separation from families and legal guardians, change of personal status, including through citizenship, adoption or placement in foster families, and indoctrination of Ukrainian children.”
Ukraine has accused Russia of abducting at least 20,000 Ukrainian children since the start of the conflict in February 2022.
Mariana Betsa, Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister, said Russia was responsible for “the largest state abduction operation in history.” So far, more than 1,850 children have been found and returned home.
“There will be no just peace in Ukraine without the immediate unconditional return of our children back home,” Betsa said from the podium before the vote.
While Russia admits that some children were taken from combat zones for their own protection, Moscow’s deputy UN envoy Maria Zabolotskaya slammed the resolution as “full of mendacious accusations.”
“Each vote for the resolution is a support for lies, war, and confrontation. Every voice against is a vote for peace,” she said.
The vote in the UN General Assembly came as the United States — which voted for the resolution — tries to get both Russia and Ukraine to agree to its plan to end the war.
But efforts to find a compromise have repeatedly stalled, while on the front lines, the Russian military continues to slowly advance — albeit with significant losses.
US President Donald Trump initially gave Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky until November 27 to respond to his latest plan, which would have included the ceding of Ukrainian territory to Moscow — a non-starter for Kyiv.
But discussions are still ongoing.
Late last month, after talks in Geneva, Zelensky hailed the progress made with US negotiators, notably the inclusion of “extremely sensitive points” such as the return of Ukrainian children he said were abducted by Russia.
For the European Union’s UN envoy, Stavros Lambrinidis, “the abducted children of Ukraine cannot wait for the final outcome, for the Russian decision to stop the war or not.”
Since 2023, the Russian army has been on a UN blacklist that names countries responsible for violating the rights of children in conflict areas, notably because of the apparent abduction of Ukrainian children.
That same year, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying there were “reasonable grounds to believe” that he “bears responsibility for the war crime of unlawful deportation” of Ukrainian children to Russia.
UN Assembly tells Russia to return captive Ukrainian kids
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UN Assembly tells Russia to return captive Ukrainian kids
- The resolution “demands that the Russian Federation ensure the immediate, safe and unconditional return of all Ukrainian children who have been forcibly transferred or deported”
Pakistani fighter jet crashes in Jalalabad, pilot captured: Afghan military, police
- Fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban military entered its third day on Saturday
- Pakistan’s strikes on Friday hit Taliban military installations and posts, including in Kabul and Kandahar
JALALABAD: A Pakistani jet has crashed in Jalalabad city and the pilot captured alive, the Afghan military and police said Saturday, with residents telling AFP the man parachuted from the plane before being detained.
"A Pakistani fighter jet was shot down in the sixth district of Jalalabad city, and its pilot was captured alive," police spokesman Tayeb Hammad said.
Wahidullah Mohammadi, spokesman for the military in eastern Afghanistan, confirmed the Pakistani jet was downed by Afghan forces "and the pilot was captured alive".
The AFP journalist heard a jet overhead before blasts from the direction of the airport in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, which sits on the road between Kabul and the Pakistani border.
Fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban military entered its third day on Saturday, following overnight clashes as the international community expressed increasing concern about the conflict and called for urgent talks.
Pakistan’s strikes on Friday hit Taliban military installations and posts, including in Kabul and Kandahar, in one of the deepest Pakistani incursions into its western neighbor in years, officials said.
Islamabad accuses the Taliban of harboring Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, who it claims are waging an insurgency inside Pakistan, a charge the Taliban denies.
Pakistan described its actions as a response to cross-border assaults, while Kabul denounced them as a breach of its sovereignty, saying it remained open to dialogue but warned any wider conflict would result in serious consequences.
The fighting has raised the risk of a protracted conflict along the rugged 2,600-kilometer frontier.
Diplomatic efforts gathered pace late on Friday as Afghanistan said its foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, spoke by telephone with Saudi Arabia’s Prince Faisal bin Farhan about reducing tensions and keeping diplomatic channels open.
The European Union called for both sides to de-escalate and engage in dialogue, while the United Nations urged an immediate end to hostilities.
Russia urged both sides to halt the clashes and return to talks, while China said it was deeply concerned and ready to help ease tensions.
The United States supports Pakistan’s right to defend itself against attacks by the Taliban, a State Department spokesperson said.
Border fighting continues
Exchanges of fire continued along the border overnight.
Pakistani security sources said an operation dubbed “Ghazab Lil Haq” was ongoing and that Pakistani forces had destroyed multiple Taliban posts and camps in several sectors. Reuters could not independently verify the claims.
Both sides have reported heavy losses with conflicting tolls that Reuters could not verify. Pakistan said 12 of its soldiers and 274 Taliban were killed while the Taliban said 13 of its fighters and 55 Pakistani soldiers died.
Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said 19 civilians were killed and 26 wounded in Khost and Paktika. Reuters could not verify the claim.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said “our cup of patience has overflowed” and described the fighting as “open war,” warning that Pakistan would respond to further attacks.
Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani said in a speech in Khost province that the conflict “will be very costly,” and that Afghan forces had not deployed broadly beyond those already engaged.
He said the Taliban had defeated “the world, not through technology, but through unity and solidarity,” and through “great patience and perseverance,” rather than superior military power.
Pakistan’s military capabilities far exceed those of Afghanistan, with a standing army of hundreds of thousands and a modern air force.
In stark contrast, the Taliban lacks a conventional air force and relies largely on light weaponry and ground forces.
However, the Islamist group is battle-hardened after two decades of insurgency against US-led forces before returning to power in 2021.
