NEW YORK, September 28. /TASS/. Russia is poised to provide the names of all Ukrainian children who were evacuated into Russia over the Ukraine conflict, and to return them to their families at the request of their parents or guardians, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said in an article for Newsweek.
The article in Russian was provided by the Russian embassy to the United States.
"We stand ready to provide the names of all minors currently on Russian territory for their own safety. We maintain a comprehensive list of these children. Any child for whom we receive requests from their legal representatives — parents or guardians — will be promptly reunited with their families. We haven’t kidnapped anyone; quite the opposite, we have rescued these children," he said.
Antonov pointed out that during his press conference at the UN Headquarters on September 23, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov faced a barrage of questions from Western reporters, who especially pedaled the issue of Ukrainian minors allegedly forcibly taken to Russia.
"We have nothing to hide in this regard," the ambassador said. "We are open and prepared for a constructive dialogue on this pressing issue."
The Russian envoy pointed out that Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba visited Russia in May and spent several days to hold detailed discussions and meetings, clarifying the issues she was interested in. All the answers were given, including during her talks with Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova.