U.S. Senator Katie Britt Continues Call for Russia to Return Kidnapped Ukrainian Children

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) is continuing to call for Russia to return nearly 20,000 kidnapped Ukrainian children. Last month, she joined Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) in introducing legislation that would designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law if they fail to return the more than 19,000 Ukrainian children that have been kidnapped during the course of the war. 

Upon introduction, Senator Britt said, “As a mom of two young children, I cannot imagine what it’s like to have your child taken from you. This is an issue that must be elevated, and I believe the United States must lead in designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism if they do not return every single kidnapped Ukrainian child. It’s clear that Putin will never do the right thing without being forced. Now is the time to make that happen and reunite parents with their precious children.”

The goal of the Designating the Russian Federation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism Act is to exert maximum pressure on Russia in order to achieve peace and secure the safe return of these children.

Ukraine estimates that Russia has kidnapped, deported, or displaced at least 19,546 Ukrainian children since February 2022 and is continuing to practice these illegal and inhumane actions. The ages of the children range from as young as a few months old to 17 years old. This legislation would require the Secretary of State to certify that each of these children have been reunited with their families and if unable to do so, the Secretary shall designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law.

Russia would join only four other state sponsors of terrorism under U.S. law: Cuba, North Korea, Iran and Syria.

The Senators’ legislation is in conjunction with First Lady of the United States Melania Trump’s efforts to work with the Russian government to return children with their families. Senator Britt has strongly praised the First Lady’s efforts, saying, “Thank you, @FLOTUS — every displaced child deserves to be safely reunited with their family.”

The Senators recently joined CNN to discuss their bill. In the interview, Senator Britt stated, “Who knows what’s happening to these children? … I think this is a mechanism that brings people from across the (political) spectrum on this together and says we’ve got to force Russia to do the right thing and we’ve got to give a voice to the voiceless. And that’s what’s happening here.”

Earlier this week, Senator Britt also joined Senators Graham, Blumenthal, and a number of their bipartisan colleagues in meeting with the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine to discuss this issue.

You can read the full text of the bill here and watch the Senators’ press conference on the legislation here. You can also watch the Senators’ full interview with CNN here.

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