Over 45 countries signed a commitment to facilitate the return of all Ukrainian prisoners and deportees. This is one of the results of the Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension within the framework of the Formula of Peace, which ended the day before in Montreal, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said.

"More than 45 countries signed a pledge in Montreal to repatriate to Ukraine the civilians, prisoners of war and children taken by Russia. During the Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension of War, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said the countries agreed to coordinate efforts to collect information about Ukrainians held in Russia and to create safe paths for their return," the Coordination Headquarters said in Telegram's statement on Friday.

"Human lives must be protected. Children, civilians and prisoners of war must be allowed to return home," Melanie Joly said.

According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, nearly 42,000 Ukrainians are missing and nearly 20,000 children have been deported to the aggressor country.