More than 19,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly taken to Russia since the start of the war.

According to a new report by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, these children have been placed in over 200 facilities across Russia—some in so-called “summer camps,” others in military academies where they undergo “re-education” and even combat training.

Many of these children have been separated from their families, given Russian citizenship, and placed into adoption without consent. This is not relocation—it is state-sponsored child abduction, and it is a clear violation of international law.

Ukraine has made the return of these children central to any peace process. But without pressure from global leaders—especially the United States—Russia has no incentive to stop. The U.N., the International Criminal Court, and European nations are already calling this what it is: a war crime.

Yet President Trump has remained silent.

Worse, his administration cut funding to the U.S. Conflict Observatory program that tracked these atrocities. And it imposed sanctions that now prevent U.S. researchers from safely sharing evidence with the International Criminal Court—blocking efforts to hold Putin accountable.

We call on President Donald J. Trump to publicly support Ukraine’s “Bring Kids Back” initiative, restore cooperation with war crimes investigators, and commit to using U.S. influence to pressure Russia to return these children immediately.

These children are not political pawns. They are sons and daughters who belong with their families, not in indoctrination camps thousands of miles away.

Mr. Trump, if you truly want to put America First, then lead with American values—justice, freedom, and the protection of innocent lives.