At summit, Trump must make Putin return Ukraine’s stolen kids

In February, President Donald Trump offered a ray of hope to thousands of Ukraine’s families.

“I believe I could, yes,” he said, when asked if he could convince President Vladimir Putin to return the more than 19,500 Ukrainian children Russia has abducted during its three-year full-scale invasion.

“It’s pretty tough stuff, but I believe I could do that.”

On Friday, he’ll have his chance.

The Aug. 15 Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska offers the perfect moment for the president to raise this issue directly — and to make it unmistakably clear that freeing Ukraine’s children must be a prerequisite to any peace deal.

The UN’s Commission on Ukraine has recognized Russia’s actions as a war crime, and the European Court of Human Rights holds Russia responsible for these abductions.

Yet no international organization has managed to force the children’s return.

Since the start of Putin’s invasion, Russia has subjected thousands of stolen kids to catastrophic risks including human trafficking, illegal adoptions, identity erasure and militarization.

As Washington and Moscow prepare for the Alaska meeting, new revelations are adding to the horror: According to the Ukrainian NGO Save Ukraine, Russia has launched an online “catalog” of kidnapped children, sorting kids by age, eye color and number of siblings.

And it doesn’t stop at physical traits, but lists personality profiles — obedience, submissiveness, attitude toward authority, self-care skills — alongside clear photographs.

“These children are not ‘war orphans.’ They had names, families, and Ukrainian citizenship,” wrote Save Ukraine founder Mykola Kuleba. “This is not care. It’s state-sponsored child trafficking.”

“A catalog with photos and descriptions is ideal material for child traffickers . . . an invitation to pedophiles and organized criminal networks in Russia.”

No civilized society can justify such a database, which demonstrates Russia’s clear intention to keep rather than return these kidnapped kids.

This week, Trump has the chance to save them.

Ukraine is seeking their return, and the international community — from Argentina to Japan — is demanding it.

Trump, too, must insist on it, and should make it a central element of pressure on Putin during Friday’s summit.

Congress has already signaled bipartisan support. This is one of those rare issues that raises no doubts due to its absolute moral clarity.

In May, senators from both parties introduced Senate Resolution 236, urging the administration to ensure the return of abducted Ukrainian children before finalizing any peace deal. The House introduced a matching bipartisan resolution.

But Russia has brushed off every demand.

At a June meeting in Istanbul, Ukraine raised the issue at the negotiating table and provided a list with 339 names of abducted children as a test of Moscow’s ability to act in good will.

Kremlin delegate Vladimir Medinsky reportedly mocked the request for their return: “Don’t put on a show for European compassionate aunties who don’t have children themselves,” he said.

Ultimately, Russia released just six children from the list — out of 339 cases submitted and more than 19,500 documented by Kyiv.

Trump has repeatedly voiced frustration at the lack of progress toward a deal that will put this destructive war to an end.

He is right: For months, Putin’s empty promises and delay tactics have held off peace.

On the contrary, Russia last month launched a record number of assault drones at Ukrainian cities, targeting schools, hospitals and residential neighborhoods — terrorizing civilians and signaling Putin’s disregard for Trump’s peace efforts.

So it’s no surprise that the president, weary of Moscow’s games, expects tangible results from the meeting in Alaska.

Trump knows better than anyone that peace can only be achieved through strength: He made that message a hallmark of his presidential campaign.

He has promised tough sanctions if Putin refuses a cease-fire or fails to show genuine readiness for peace — not one based on absurd demands.

This summit must give Putin one last chance to prove he’s serious.

Any substantial peace deal will obviously require a seat for Ukraine at the table. The nation must be involved in talks about its own future.

And while the Trump administration says both Russia and Ukraine will have to make concessions, Moscow has not identified a single substantive compromise.

If Russia wants to prove good faith to the United States, the return of Ukraine’s abducted children can and should be its first step.

Trump, an experienced negotiator, can secure this crucial concession.

Doing so could be his Nobel Peace Prize moment — what can be more sacred than freeing the innocent?

And Putin must return to Moscow with a crystal-clear understanding: Ukrainian children are not bargaining chips, and they’d better be returned ASAP.

Katya Pavlevych is an adviser on the issue of abducted Ukrainian children at Razom for Ukraine, where Ostap Yarysh is a media adviser.