Yermak and Soros meet to discuss initiatives, return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia

Ukraine’s Presidential chief-of-staff Andrii Yermak met with U.S. businessman and philanthropist Alexander Soros, the Chair of the Open Society Foundations network, Ukraine’s President’s Office website revealed on Dec. 9.

Yermak thanked Soros for participating in the inaugural meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, which took place in Kyiv on Dec. 8. During the meeting, Yermak emphasized the global visibility needed for cases of Ukrainian minors deported by Russia. He proposed publishing a book featuring stories about these children and involving globally recognized personalities in facilitating their return to Ukraine.

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Yermak also thanked the businessman, the son of the billionaire financier George Soros, for signing the Memorandum of Cooperation between Ukraine's Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Daria Herasymchuk and the Open Society Foundations. This collaboration aims to protect the rights of children affected by Russia’s armed aggression and supports the implementation of Ukraine's President's Plan Bring Kids Back UA, focusing on the return of young citizens illegally deported by Russia.

Read also: Ukraine could lose the war without US aid — Zelenskyy’s Chief-of-Staff

Expressing gratitude for the adoption of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Olena Zelenska Foundation and the International Renaissance Foundation, Yermak mentioned a $1 million allocation to support children in Ukraine, particularly those in large foster families in frontline, liberated, and affected regions.

The chief of staff informed Soros about initiatives involving religious organizations in addressing humanitarian issues and discussed projects for veterans' support and rehabilitation.

Yermak said he highly appreciated the Memorandum of Cooperation between the International Renaissance Foundation and Ukraine’s Health Ministry, focusing on psychological rehabilitation support for military personnel's family members, war casualties, prisoners of war, and internally displaced persons. Within the framework of the Memorandum, pilot projects will be implemented in two institutions in Odesa.

"Your family does a lot for Ukraine: important projects to protect our people, strengthen democracy, for the success of the Ukrainian state," he said.

Yermak and Soros also discussed the possibilities of developing the Ukrainian economy, including Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction.

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