Russia proposed exchanging POWs for abducted Ukrainian children, Zelenskyy says

He made the statement during a press conference with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen.

"You mentioned exchanges. We cannot trade children. They are not prisoners of war. Therefore, it’s impossible—we don’t exchange them for anything. It’s absolutely unfair. 

And frankly, excuse me, it’s madness—something the Russians, by the way, proposed: we give them soldiers, and they give us children. It’s simply beyond comprehension and beyond international law. But in principle, that’s their way of life," Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine's president emphasized that children must be returned, and for that, in his view, diplomacy and personal-level relations between individuals, leaders, or countries with Russians are needed.

"That’s why we are involving so many countries, so many proactive individuals, who little by little, as much as they can, will bring back the thousands of children stolen by Russia," the president added.

• As part of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, a 15-year-old boy and his mother were rescued from temporarily occupied territory.