President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 28 at the White House, where they discussed how to resuscitate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. As the United States weighs making another run at a peace deal, it must ensure that the return of the 20,610 Ukrainian children deported or forcibly transferred to Russia is part of any agreement. First lady Melania Trump has personally brokered five rounds of reunifications, bringing 30 children home, and urged Russia and Ukraine “to intensify their efforts to ensure the safe return of every child.”

This is not just a humanitarian cause, but an essential precondition for ending the war because Ukraine will not abandon its children. While Kyiv and Moscow will have to hammer out a deal at the negotiating table, Washington should use sanctions to punish the perpetrators of these mass abductions, creating pressure for Russia’s victims’ return as part of any agreement.