Ukraine's Parliament Speaker Discusses Return of Abducted Children With Costa Rican Counterpart

Ruslan Stefanchuk, Speaker of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada, met with Yara Jiménez, President of Costa Rica's Legislative Assembly, in Madrid to discuss the return of Ukrainian children who were taken to Russia, according to Ukrinform.

The two parliamentary leaders also discussed intensifying sanctions against Russia during their meeting, which took place as part of Stefanchuk's diplomatic engagements in Madrid.

Diplomatic Push

The discussion forms part of Ukraine's ongoing international effort to secure the return of children it says were illegally taken from Ukrainian territory to Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion. Kyiv has repeatedly raised the issue in meetings with foreign governments and international bodies.

Further sanctions against Russia were also on the agenda, though the available material did not specify which measures were discussed or whether Costa Rica committed to any specific action.

No additional details on the outcome of the meeting, including any joint statement or follow-up steps, were included in the source report.