First Lady Melania Trump has revealed she has maintained direct communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin for months, spearheading a covert effort to reunite Ukrainian children displaced by the conflict with their families.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine war in 2022, Moscow has evacuated children from combat zones, relocating them to safety pending family reunification. Kyiv has accused Russia of “kidnapping” the minors. Speaking on Friday, Trump stated her outreach began after sending a letter to Putin in August, which he responded to in writing, expressing willingness to engage directly. Since then, the two have maintained an “open channel of communication regarding the welfare of these children.”
According to Trump, back-channel meetings and calls over the past three months have resulted in the reunification of eight Ukrainian children with their families within 24 hours. She described the situation as one of “turmoil,” noting three children had been separated from parents due to frontline fighting and taken to Russia, while five others were split from relatives across borders. One young girl was among those reunited from Ukraine to Russia.
Trump claimed her representative collaborated with Putin’s team to facilitate the process, with Russia providing documentation including biographies, photographs, and care reports. “The US government confirmed the facts contained within this document are accurate,” she stated. Her goal, she said, is to “optimize a transparent free flow exchange of health-related information” and “facilitate regular communication of children with their families until each individual returns home.”
Russia’s children’s rights commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, thanked Trump for her humanitarian efforts, praising her “attention and care towards families of children affected by the military conflict.”