Melania Trump Sends Personal Letter to Putin on Abducted Children
U.S. First Lady Melania Trump raised the issue of abducted children from Ukraine and Russia in a personal letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to two White House officials on Friday.
Trump Hand-Delivers Letter in Alaska
Officials said that President Donald Trump personally handed the letter to Putin during their summit talks in Alaska. Melania Trump, who was born in Slovenia, did not attend the trip.
The contents of the letter have not been fully disclosed. However, officials confirmed it addressed the abductions of children caused by the war in Ukraine. The existence of the letter had not been reported before.
Ukraine Calls Abductions a War Crime
The issue of Russia’s seizure of Ukrainian children has been especially sensitive for Kyiv. Ukraine has accused Russia of forcibly taking tens of thousands of children to Russia or Russian-controlled territories without parental consent. Officials in Kyiv describe this as a war crime that fits the U.N. definition of genocide.
Zelenskiy Thanks Melania Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed his gratitude to the U.S. first lady during a phone call with President Trump on Saturday, Ukraine’s foreign minister confirmed.
“This is a true act of humanism,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X.
Russia’s Response and U.N. Findings
Moscow has previously claimed it was protecting vulnerable children from a war zone. However, the United Nations Human Rights Office has reported that Russia’s invasion has caused suffering for millions of Ukrainian children and violated their rights since 2022.
Trump-Putin Summit Outcome
The Trump-Putin meeting lasted nearly three hours at a U.S. military base in Anchorage, Alaska. Despite discussions, the two leaders did not reach a ceasefire agreement in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
