Qatar hails mediation ‘milestone’ as it hosts freed Ukrainian, Russian kids
Al Jazeera
Twenty reunited Ukrainian and Russian families are in Doha to receive support as part of Qatar’s ongoing mediation efforts.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says 16 Ukrainian children who “had previously been forcibly deported” to Russia after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine are recovering in Qatar following their release.
In a statement on X late on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said the group was freed and reunited with their families thanks to Qatari mediation efforts that have helped bring back dozens of children taken during the 27-month war.
He added that the children and their relatives were currently in the Gulf state “for medical, mental, and social recovery”.
Zelenskyy’s statement came days after Qatar said 20 Ukrainian and Russian families had arrived in the Qatari capital to be provided healthcare and support with the ongoing mediation efforts to reunite families.
