Brandon DrenonWashington DC
First Lady Melania Trump says Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to her letter of concern about the child victims of the Russia-Ukraine war.
She made the announcement on Friday, saying that after an “open channel of communication” with Putin, Ukranian children displaced in the war had been reunited with families.
The First Lady’s “peace letter” was hand delivered to Putin during his Alaska visit in August.
President Donald Trump shared parts of the letter on social media. In it, the first lady pleads with Putin to protect children, writing that doing so “will do more than serve Russia alone” and “will serve humanity itself”.
“Eight children have been rejoined with their families during the past 24 hours,” Mrs Trump said, flanked by American flags behind a podium in the White House.
“Each child has lived in turmoil because of the war in Ukraine.”
Of the eight children, the First Lady said three separated from their families were displaced to Russia because of front-line fighting.
Another young girl displaced by the conflict has now been returned from Ukraine to Russia, Mrs Trump says.
The children’s reunification with their families was facilitated by both Ukraine and Russia, the First Lady said, adding that she was given a detailed report with photographs and the “identities and circumstances” of each child.
The US government “confirmed the facts”, she said.
Mrs Trump said she has “learned a lot about this matter” since her letter was first handed to Putin. She said he responded in writing.
In her letter, the First Lady wrote: “Every child shares the same quiet dreams in their heart… They dream of love, possibility, and safety from danger.”
The announcement marks a positive development in her advocacy for children from the White House, which began during President Trump’s first term.
She launched the BE BEST initiative in January 2021, which the White House describes as an awareness campaign focused around the well-being of children globally.
Earlier this year, the First Lady led an initiative for Congress to pass a bill banning revenge porn called the Take It Down Act. After the bill was signed, she said it was “a powerful statement that we stand united in protecting the dignity, privacy, and safety of our children”.
According to the Ukrainian government, at least 19,500 Ukrainian children have been deported and forcibly displaced from their homes to Russia and Russian-occupied territories since February 2022.
Just 1,605 have come home so far, according to the government’s Children of War database, external.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Children’s Rights Commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, in 2023 for the alleged unlawful deportation of children.
Russia denies the accusation and says it has protected children by moving them from a war zone for their safety.
