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Thank you, and now I give the floor to, Minister Sipilä, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, please. Thank you, dear friends, dear colleagues. It's good that we came together.

On your way to this room, you saw an exhibition called Empty Beds,

a deeply emotional and disturbing experience for us in Ukraine. This is not about art.

It's a horrible reality of stolen children, of stolen childhood.

Sorry for being frank, but all of these exhibitions,

events and meetings have absolutely zero meaning if they don't bring measurable results, as you mentioned, Anitta.

First and foremost, I mean the number of the returned children.

We have managed to return over 2000 kids,

but this was done not thanks to international mechanism, but rather despite their failure.

When we talk about children being really returned, certain countries help, such as Qatar,

the US and the Holy See, some others, including those present in the room.

Our special services and state institutions worked,

but today we need to be asking ourselves what concrete actions are we taking to return children?

Because with this horrible tragedy unfolding in front of our eyes, statements are not enough.

Just to make it clear, this criticism is pointed at myself and our side just as much as at everyone else.

Anitta Kaja Kallas Marta, I do appreciate your dedication. Canada has been a strong co-chair.

Steps taken in Monroe and other formats have been crucial.

The EU has helped not only politically but also practically.

With tracing rehabilitation and reintegration of children, including critical rapid response supporting the Bring Kids Back,

and of course President Zelensky himself and our First Lady.

All children are our children, and diplomacy cannot stand aside. I will touch upon 3 issues.

First, the return of children as part of the peace process. Second, concrete steps to speed up efforts.

And third, how to transform this coalition and how to change international tools if they fail to protect children.

Recently I came across two quotes that demonstrate the scale of this evil crime.

The first one was, they simply took us away and you no longer belong to anyone.

And the second one was they just took us away and told us that nobody needed us.

You may think both quotes belong to deported Ukrainian children,

and you would be right, but more than 80 years stand between them. The first quote belongs to Boris Romanchenko.

At the age of 16, he was deported from Ukraine by Nazi Germany during the Second World War. He ended up in a concentration camp.

The second belongs to a boy from Mariupol.

After being deported by Russian occupiers, he was sent to a filtration camp.

Here in Belgium, people remember Kaserne Dose, a deportation hub before Auschwitz, but people in Belgium also remember the attack on the 20th convoy,

one of the rare heroic acts in the Second World War,

that stopped forced deportation, and today we must stop this convoy again.

Here I come to my first key point the return of Ukrainian children should be a fundamental element of the peace process. There have been many speculations.

Today I want to state this officially the fate of Ukrainian children will never be part of any compromise.

Russia has already proposed putting children on exchange lists, but this is unacceptable. Children's freedom is unconditional.

Russians are afraid of this topic, and they try to downplay it.

They demand to take it off the agenda.

They understand they are committing a crime and they are afraid of justice.

I emphasise that we are not only talking about Ukrainian children here,

we are working out solutions that will help protect children in all wars and all geographies.

For Ukraine, the return of our stolen children is not only a state policy.

It is a nationwide cause, and I come here with a mandate not only from the Ukrainian state,

but also from Ukrainian society.

Last week our civil society organisations handed me their proposals.

These are people who work every day with children, families and return.

I put this document full of useful recommendations on today's agenda.

Colleagues, the 2nd point is about steps to speed up our efforts.

Thousands of children remain forcefully separated from their families and their homeland.

In December '91, states supported the UN General Assembly resolution on the return of Ukrainian children.

I thank every country that voted in favour.

Every individual involved in the crime must face justice, including so-called adoptive families who took stolen children. Immoral choices should have legal consequences.

I urge our EU partners to impose an entry ban for those Russians who are involved in the deportation,

indoctrination and illegal adoption of stolen Ukrainian children.

I also welcome today's decision by the UK, Canada,

and the EU to impose new sanctions for those responsible for crimes against Ukrainian children.

We speak not only about returning children, we speak about a triple return,

return every child, return Ukraine to every child, and return childhood to these children. Dear friends, the third point is about. That need to be changed.

It is important that our coalition is growing. I welcome Panama, Switzerland, and Cyprus joining.

The coalition now includes 46 countries and 3 international organisations.

My last point is a call to action.

The international coalition should transform into an effective mechanism for the actual return of children.

It is critical for us to 1, develop a concrete roadmap of action for the coalition members,

outlining their commitments and measures to be taken.

2, continue to support practical initiatives on tracing, returns, reintegrations and accountability. 3.

The Ankar resolution through the UN Secretary General's actions.

4, impose new tough sanctions on those responsible for abductions and deportations of Ukrainian children. 5.

Enforce the ICC arrest warrants issued against Putin and Luvova Belova. Accountability is key. Statements are not enough. Words of empathy are not enough.

Actions, both political and legal, are needed to ensure accountability and bring our kids back home.

And of course the best thing we can bring to our children is peace. I thank you for your attention.