KYIV — February 23, 2026. Senior Ukrainian officials, international diplomats and legal experts gathered in the Ukrainian capital for the Justice Conference, a high-level forum focused on wartime accountability and one of the most politically sensitive issues emerging from Russia’s invasion — the forced transfer of Ukrainian children.

Among the participants was Ukraine’s Chief Rabbi Moshe Reuven Asman, who said the discussions centered on practical mechanisms to return thousands of children taken from occupied territories and on building international legal pressure against Moscow.

The conference, held with the participation of the Office of the President of Ukraine, reflected Kyiv’s growing effort to move the conversation about wartime abuses from moral condemnation toward enforceable legal outcomes.

Turning War Crimes Into Legal Cases

According to participants, the Justice Conference was designed as more than a diplomatic gathering. Ukrainian authorities increasingly frame accountability — including the issue of deported children — as a cornerstone of post-war security architecture in Europe.

Officials present included First Lady Olena Zelenska, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov, senior presidential adviser Serhii Kyslytsia, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Iryna Mudra, and Save Ukraine founder Mykola Kuleba, alongside diplomats from allied nations and international human-rights representatives.

Asman described the forced removal of Ukrainian children as an attempt not only to displace civilians but to dismantle identity itself.

“The main focus of the meeting was the mechanism for returning more than 20,000 Ukrainian children who were forcibly taken from Ukraine in an effort to erase their identity, language and memory of their homeland, as well as Russia’s responsibility for crimes against humanity,” he said.

Ukrainian officials argue that the issue has evolved into one of the most legally consequential aspects of the war, intersecting with discussions about a potential special tribunal and broader compensation mechanisms.

From Moral Support to Political Action

A recurring theme throughout the conference was frustration within Kyiv over what officials view as a gap between international sympathy and concrete action.

“The world must not only sympathize with us — it must act,” Asman said, summarizing what participants described as the central message of the gathering. “This is a matter of global justice and security in the new world we are living in.”

Ukrainian diplomats increasingly present the return of abducted children as a test case for whether international institutions can respond effectively to large-scale wartime violations in the 21st century.

Analysts note that Kyiv is attempting to institutionalize accountability now — rather than waiting for the war’s conclusion — in order to prevent political fatigue among Western partners.

In coverage monitored by NAnews — Nikk.Agency Israel News, the issue of deported children has become a defining element of Ukraine’s international advocacy strategy, linking humanitarian concerns with long-term geopolitical security debates.

International Religious Voices Enter the Debate

Another moment highlighted by Asman was a speech delivered by Pastor Mark Burns, an American evangelical leader and spiritual adviser to US President Donald Trump, who addressed the gathering in Kyiv.

Burns’ participation reflects a broader Ukrainian effort to expand support beyond traditional diplomatic channels and engage influential religious and political networks in the United States.

Asman publicly thanked Burns for what he described as strong words of support for Ukraine delivered before senior officials and foreign diplomats attending the conference.

Observers say such appearances signal Kyiv’s attempt to maintain bipartisan attention in Washington while reinforcing moral framing around wartime accountability.

The Justice Conference demonstrated how Ukraine increasingly views justice not as a postwar process but as an active wartime strategy.

For Kyiv, the return of deported children has become both a humanitarian priority and a geopolitical signal: whether international law retains practical meaning during modern conflict.

As several participants suggested privately, sympathy may shape headlines — but only coordinated political action can change outcomes.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)