Russian commissioner for children's rights claims Ukrainian children 'can go home

Maria Lvova-Belova, who is being sought for war crimes for deporting children from Ukraine, told a UN meeting they were taken for their safety and Moscow is coordinating with international organisations to return them to their families.

Ambassadors from Western countries boycotted the informal UN Security Council meeting, sending low-level diplomats instead. 

And diplomats from the US, UK, Albania and Malta walked out when Maria Lvova-Belova began addressing the meeting by video link. 

The International Criminal Court last month issued an arrest warrant for her and Vladimir Putin, accusing them of abducting children from Ukraine. 

Russia, which holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council this month, called today's meeting to counter what it claims is disinformation about the Ukrainian children. 

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters before the meeting that Washington strongly opposed the briefing and joined the UK in blocking the UN from broadcasting the meeting externally. 

Ms Lvova-Belova should not be allowed "to have an international podium to spread disinformation and to try to defend her horrible actions that are taking place in Ukraine," Ms Thomas-Greenfield said. 

Kyiv claims that nearly 8,000 children have been deported to Russia, but the exact number has proved difficult to determine.