Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NewsNation on Wednesday that a peace agreement with Russia must include a promise to "return" Ukrainian children abducted from the country and brought to Russia for adoption.

"We cannot reach an agreement with [Russia] on the return of children," Zelenskyy told NewsNation. "We negotiate through other countries that carry out mediation missions. The most successful have been the Qataris. So far, they've been helping us."

The organization Save Ukraine reports that more than 19,500 children have been taken from Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022. President Donald Trump previously said he "could" bring up the kidnapped children during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which is scheduled for this Friday.

The Ukrainian president added during his interview that the Vatican, particularly Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, has been very helpful in returning his country's children to their homes.

"We hand over lists of children, and they help us," said Zelenskyy. "At the level of ombudsmen — for example, the Ukrainian and the Russian ones — this is unfortunately still impossible."

In an opinion piece published by Politico on Wednesday, Ukrainian deputy minister for foreign affairs Mariana Betsa urged Russia to return the children taken during the invasion, saying, "They aren't bargaining chips to be exchanged for territory, and their safe return can't be relegated to a footnote in peace talks. On the contrary, it is and must remain a precondition for a just and lasting resolution to the war."

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