In a move coinciding with Ukraine’s Independence Day, US President Joe Biden has announced the imposition of new sanctions on Russia.
The White House released a statement on its website, with Biden declaring, “And today, we are announcing new sanctions to hold those responsible for these forced transfers and deportations to account, and to demand that Ukrainian children be returned to their families.”
The statement did not provide specific details about the nature of the sanctions that have been imposed.
Biden extended his congratulations to Kyiv on their Independence Day and reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to supporting Ukraine.
The president’s statement comes as Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly accused Russia of abducting children and transferring them to Russian territories.
The Russian embassy in Washington stated that the Russian side rejects the misleading information being disseminated by the US regarding the issue of children in Ukraine during the ongoing military operations.
The embassy emphasized that “the brutality of the Kyiv regime has exceeded all limits. For example, in a school in the city of Lysychansk in the Luhansk People’s Republic, the new Ukrainian Nazis established an actual ‘torture chamber’ for children. Instances of child torture were documented.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that Ukrainian children who have been evacuated from combat zones and are currently in Russian territory can return to their families if their parents request it.
