During a bilateral meeting with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, we discussed Ukraine’s key humanitarian priorities, in particular the return of Ukrainian children deported by Russia.

I informed the President about the current mechanisms for locating and returning children, as well as how critical the need remains to strengthen international pressure to stop this criminal practice.

No one can speak more truthfully about the hell of occupation than the children we have managed to return. Fear, threats, attempted abductions, systematic pressure and efforts to break their identity — this is the reality they faced.

I expressed sincere gratitude to Cyprus for its consistent support of Ukraine, humanitarian assistance, and solidarity with our people. I separately thanked Cyprus for supporting the UN General Assembly resolution calling on Russia to immediately return the abducted Ukrainian children.

I presented the President of Cyprus with a book by Stanislav Aseyev, which truthfully and painfully illustrates the horror faced daily by Ukrainian prisoners. This book is an important testimony to Russia’s war crimes and a reminder of why our shared struggle for freedom and justice must continue", Dmytro Lubinets stressed.