What could be a just, dignified and lasting peace in Ukraine?

Opinion What could be a just, dignified and lasting peace in Ukraine?

Key points

• 4 min readSep 29, 2026 06: 20 AM IST First published on: Sep 29, 2026 at 06: 20 AM IST.
• Cooter is High Commissioner of Canada to India, Stener is Ambassador of Norway to India and Polishchuk is Ambassador of Ukraine to India.
• Throughout cities in Ukraine, loudspeakers normally employed to warn of incoming Russian air strikes broadcast the steady tick of a clock.
• This is Ukraine's daily moment of silence, a nationwide act of remembrance for those killed in Russia's illegal war.
• Among them are the thousands of Ukrainian children who have been forcibly transferred and unlawfully deported by Russia over the course of its war.

Opinion What could be a just, dignified and lasting peace in Ukraine? Every person returned reunites a family. Every family reunited strengthens a community. And every community prospering helps rebuild Ukraine.

As Russia's relentless assault in Bakhmut, continues, one of the last remaining local residents walks along an empty street. (Photo: REUTERS/Alex Babenko). Written by: Christopher Cooter, May-Elin Stener, Oleksandr Polishchuk.

Every morning at 9: 00 am, Ukraine stops. Throughout cities in Ukraine, loudspeakers normally employed to warn of incoming Russian air strikes broadcast the steady tick of a clock. City streets full of life fall silent. Traffic lights turn red. Cars stop. For one minute, a country pauses.

This is Ukraine's daily moment of silence, a nationwide act of remembrance for those killed in Russia's illegal war. In workplaces, homes, schools, markets and on highways, Ukrainians pause to honour those who offered their lives defending their country's sovereignty and freedom, and remember the thousands of civilians whose lives have been lost to Russia's aggression.

For context, the silence additionally mirrors the absence felt by thousands of families whose loved ones have yet to come home.

Among them are the thousands of Ukrainian children who have been forcibly transferred and unlawfully deported by Russia over the course of its war. Separated from their families and communities, plenty of have had parts of their core identity stripped away: Their language, their culture, and even their names.

Others are civilians unlawfully detained in territories temporarily occupied by Russia. Plenty of have suffered consequences for teaching their language, practising their culture, speaking out against occupation, or sharing the truth concerning what they have witnessed. Some have been transferred to detention facilities in Russia, where they are held without due process, denied contact with loved ones, deprived of adequate medical care, and shielded from independent monitoring.

For Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russian custody, conditions remain similarly concerning. While independent bodies have documented widespread abuse, including torture and sexual violence, returnees have documented harsh treatment.

These are not side effects of Russia's war. Russia's actions are repeated and well-documented violations of international law, carried out at scale, in an attempt to bend the will of the Ukrainian individuals. Behind every case is a human story: A parent waiting for a child, a spouse waiting for a phone call, a family waiting for someone to come home.

We know that the true measure of peace is discovered in these human-centred stories. It is discovered in a child returned to their family, a civilian issued from unlawful detention, a prisoner of war reunited with loved ones, and a community given the chance to heal and rebuild.

In practice, the scope of this matter is immense, and no country or organisation can address it alone. Success requires sustained cooperation among governments, international organisations, humanitarian actors, and civil society.

This is why Canada, Norway, and Ukraine will convene foreign ministers and international partners in Toronto on September 28 and 29 for 'Pathways to Peace: Second International Conference on Returning Ukrainian Children, Detained Civilians, and Prisoners of War'.

Building on the progress created at the Ministerial Conference on the same topic, hosted by our three countries in Canada in 2024, the conference will bring international partners together to backing Ukraine's efforts to return, rehabilitate and reintegrate Ukrainian deported children, detained civilians, and prisoners of war.

Their return is a humanitarian imperative and critical to any peace process, helping to build trust and lay the groundwork of a just, lasting and dignified peace. Every person returned reunites a family. Every family reunited strengthens a community. And every community prospering helps rebuild Ukraine.

Each morning, millions of Ukrainians pause to remember those who are gone and those who have yet to return. In their remembrance and with extraordinary courage and ingenuity, they additionally repair what Russia has damaged, care for one another, and strengthen the communities that Russian aggression has sought to tear apart.

It is our hope that 'Pathways to Peace' will mobilise the international community not only to pause with Ukraine in remembrance, but to act alongside it to support bring home every deported child, detained civilian, and prisoner of war.

Taken together, the developments around what could be a just, dignified and lasting peace in Ukraine? Point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.