Zelensky travels to Qatar for talks on Ukraine's abducted children

Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (R) meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Lusail Palace. -/Ukrainian Presidency/dpa

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to Doha on Wednesday for talks with Qatari Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani.

The two leaders were to discuss Qatar's mediation on the issue of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia during the current conflict, Zelensky said on the social media platform X on Wednesday.

Bilateral economic issues and the upcoming peace summit in Switzerland, which Qatar will attend, were also on the agenda.

Ukraine has been fending off a Russian invasion for more than two years. Qatar has repeatedly mediated between the two states in the return of children and young people to Ukraine.

The International Criminal Court in The Hague has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on charges of abducting Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied territories.

On Thursday, Zelensky is expected in Normandy, where he will take part in a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings on D-Day during World War II.

Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (R) welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of their talks at Lusail Palace. -/Ukrainian Presidency/dpa
Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (2nd R) meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (2nd L) at Lusail Palace, in the presence of Ukraine's Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov (L) and Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. -/Ukrainian Presidency/dpa

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