A conference was held in Montreal to approve measures to return deported Ukrainians and prisoners of war. This was reported by the Office of the President of Ukraine.
The Ministerial Conference on Human Rights under the Peace Formula, which brought together representatives of more than 70 countries and international organisations, adopted a Joint Communiqué. The central provision of the document is the so-called Montreal Commitment, which outlines international measures to return Ukrainians who are in captivity or have been forcibly deported.
The communiqué reflects the unified position of the participants, who expressed support for Ukraine and condemned any assistance to the aggressor. The participants agreed to strengthen cooperation with international partners and organisations to address humanitarian issues and ensure the implementation of the Geneva Conventions on human rights in time of war.
One of the important decisions was the participation of reliable intermediary countries in negotiations with Russia on the return of Ukrainian soldiers, civilians and children. It was also proposed to create mechanisms that would allow Ukrainians in the aggressor state to receive consular support.
Among international partners, some countries have shown their willingness to take concrete action. In particular, Qatar, the Vatican and South Africa agreed to mediate negotiations on the return of deported Ukrainian children, while Lithuania and Qatar will act as transit countries to help return children home. The UAE took on the role of mediator in negotiations on the exchange of prisoners of war.
The conference participants also decided to create a group of countries to collect information about Ukrainian prisoners, including children, and to support Ukraine in reintegrating those who have returned home.
