Qatar has been leading efforts to reunite families split by the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Twenty Ukrainian and Russian families, including 37 children, arrived in Doha on Saturday as part of Qatar’s ongoing mediation efforts to reunite those separated by the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Qatar’s foreign ministry announced the families’ arrival in a statement, noting that it is hosting them as part of its ‘Health and Recovery Program’. The Qatari initiative is a joint partnership with Russia and Ukraine.
It is hosting the families from April 18 until April 27, where they will receive medical and psycho-social support.
“This initiative represents a foundational step in aiding and assisting families with their recovery process. It is designed to provide comprehensive support that not only addresses immediate needs but also lays the groundwork for long-term healing and integration,” the statement said.
Qatar has been leading efforts to reunite families split by the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
At least 20,000 children were illegally taken to Russia since the start of Moscow’s war on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, some of whom had been put up for adoption, according to Reuters.
On October 16, 2023, Qatar secured the first such repatriation of four Ukrainian children from Russia following Kyiv’s request.
Then on November 19, joint mediation by Qatar and the United Nations led to the release of orphaned Ukrainian teenager, Bohdan Yermokhin, from Mariupol after he was taken to Russia during the war.
Qatar later reunified six additional Ukrainian children with their families on December 5 of the same year.
The Gulf state then mediated the release of 11 Ukrainian children, including ones with disabilities, held in Russia on February 19.
At the time, the Qatari embassy in Russia hosted the children and their families to ensure their safe return to their homeland. The embassy’s staff also accompanied the families until they reached their final destination.
The following month on March 21, Qatar reunited children with their families and facilitated their safe transfer from Ukraine to Russia via Belarus.
“As a mediator, Qatar remains dedicated to safeguarding the welfare of all civilians impacted by the conflict. The Ministry further reiterates Qatar’s unwavering commitment to continue its mediation efforts, focusing on reuniting children with their families and ensuring their safety and welfare,” the Gulf state’s foreign ministry said in its latest statement.
The war between Russia and Ukraine persisted since February 2022, with at least 10,000 civilians killed in Ukraine according to the United Nations.
Two years on, the war internally displaced 3.7 million people in Ukraine and created six million refugees in Europe, according to the UN.
Qatar has maintained a balanced foreign policy since the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine, communicating with both sides while repeatedly calling for the need for dialogue to end the conflict.
In July last year, Doha pledged $100 million in aid to Kyiv during a meeting between Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Sheikh Mohammed’s visit to Ukraine came a month after a stopover in Moscow on June 22, where he met Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The Qatari official had called for respecting Ukraine’s territorial dignity and independence, as well as the UN Charter.
In March 2022, Qatar was among 141 countries that voted on a UN resolution demanding Russia’s “immediate and complete” withdrawal from Ukraine.
Qatar, a seasoned mediator, had previously expressed its openness to facilitate dialogue between rivals Russia and Ukraine “if asked” by its international partners.