The former First Lady of the United States wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin about children displaced in the Ukraine war, according to a Reuters report citing White House officials. Former President Donald Trump allegedly handed the letter to the Kremlin leader.
Media: Melania Trump Addresses Putin
According to Reuters sources, Melania Trump wrote a letter to Vladimir Putin concerning Ukrainian children during a trip to Alaska. The document was allegedly delivered by Donald Trump to the Russian dictator. The content of the letter is not fully disclosed but it reportedly references the abduction of children amid the Ukraine conflict. Melania Trump, who hails from Slovenia, was not present at the presidents’ meeting in Alaska.
Russia Abducts Ukrainian Children
Precise numbers on Russian abductions of Ukrainian children remain unclear. In 2023, Poland’s Institute of International Affairs cited 19,546 abducted children. Early August, Mykola Kuleba of Save Ukraine reported on a website linked to the unrecognized Donetsk People’s Republic, where children were listed with details such as gender, eye color, and hair color. The site existed for several weeks and featured nearly 300 child profiles aged up to 17. Save Ukraine identified over half of these children, many of whom lost parents or were captured and issued fabricated Russian documents. In March 2023, the International Criminal Court ordered the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin and children’s rights advocate Maria Lwow‑Bielova for alleged war crimes involving illegal deportations and forced relocations.
Donald Trump Meets Vladimir Putin in Alaska
On the evening of Friday to Saturday, 2024, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, who was also in Alaska, met in Anchorage at a summit. The event began with a warm welcome at the airport, with the Russian leader received in a manner befitting a friendly nation rather than a nation with traditionally cold ties to Washington. Approximately three hours later, the meeting concluded, despite earlier claims it might last six to seven hours, and a planned joint lunch was canceled. Press conferences saw each leader give statements: Putin spoke for more than eight minutes, while Trump spoke just over three. Trump described the meeting as highly productive with many points agreed upon, though a crucial issue remained unresolved. Putin said the talks could serve as a starting point to address the war in Ukraine and restore Russian–American relations.
