Lithuania has made an additional €10 million contribution to the EU’s Ukraine Facility to help tackle Russia's forced deportation of Ukrainian children.
The funding was announced ahead of a planned Summit of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, which will focus on the forced deportation and illegal transfer of Ukrainian children by Russia, the European Commission announced on Monday.
The money will support initiatives linked to social aspects of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction, including education.
It will also back Ukraine’s “Better Care reform”, described by the Commission as an effort to transform the country’s child protection system.
The additional support will be channelled through Pillar III of the Ukraine Facility, which the Commission described as project-based assistance.
Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said: “For Putin’s Russia, children have become mere instruments of war. Their schools are bombed, and thousands have been forcibly deported, torn from their families and their roots. The European Union is working hand in hand with Ukraine to help bring them home. Thanks to Lithuania’s new contribution, we will further strengthen our efforts so that every child can grow up in the dignity they deserve.”
Signing alongside EU foreign ministers
Kos and Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys signed a letter acknowledging the contribution on the margins of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council, the Commission said.
Lithuania is the fourth EU Member State to make an individual financial contribution to the Ukraine Facility, after Denmark, Finland and Sweden.
Norway has also joined the EU’s efforts to support Ukraine’s recovery.
