US no longer funds program tracking abducted Ukrainian children, Rubio says
Rubio's statement came a day after the U.S. State Department announced that it would provide short-term funding to the initiative after the White House terminated the program.
"The program is not funded. It was part of the reductions that were made," Rubio said.
The initiative, run by Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab under the State Department's Conflict Observatory, used biometric data and satellite imagery to track Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children.
At least 19,500 Ukrainian children have been confirmed as abducted by Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion, with only about 1,200 returned to Ukraine, according to Ukraine's Children of War database.
Yale's research — funded by the U.S. government — has helped track thousands of these cases.
Researchers reportedly lost access to the database last month after officials terminated the contract, cutting off critical evidence for war crimes investigations.
According to Rubio, the U.S. has secured the data and ensured that it can be transferred "to any appropriate authorities."
The multiple cuts to foreign funding have begun to affect international efforts to hold Russia accountable, including for war crimes committed in Ukraine.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Children's Rights Ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova in 2023 due to their participation in the deportation of Ukrainian children.
As part of ongoing U.S.-Russia negotiations, U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Walz said earlier in March that returning kidnapped Ukrainian children is among several "confidence-building measures" being discussed.
Ukrainian officials have named their return as a key condition for any future peace agreement with Russia.
Read also: USAGM withdraws termination of RFE/RL grant, funding back in effect
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