When President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in August, he hand-delivered a letter to Putin from First Lady Melania Trump in which she voiced concern about the children impacted by the Russia-Ukraine war.
In a surprise address to the nation Friday morning, Mrs. Trump announced the stunning developments that have transpired since she first penned her letter to Putin, and said she and Putin “have had an open channel of communication” since then regarding the welfare of the children.
She said Putin responded to her letter in writing, and signaled a willingness to engage with her directly, and outlined details regarding the Ukrainian children residing in Russia.
According to an NBC News report in September: Ukraine’s official “Bring Kids Back” program, which partners the government with other countries and international organizations to return kids from Russia, has recorded nearly 20,000 cases of unlawful deportations and forced transfers of children.
NBC also revealed:
Ukrainian children have been taken to over 200 different facilities across Russia, including locations where they have been subjected to forced “re-education” and military training in a clear violation of international law, according to new research.
Eight different types of facilities, ranging from summer camps to religious sites to military academies stretching across the entire expanse of Russia, have been identified in the report from the Yale School of Public Health Humanitarian Research Lab published Tuesday.
First Lady Melania Trump said Putin has now agreed to return some of those Ukrainian children.
“For the past few months, both sides have participated in several back channel meetings and calls, all in good faith. We have agreed to cooperate with each other for the benefit of all people involved in this war. My representative has been working directly with President Putin’s team, to ensure the safe reunification of children with their families between Russia and Ukraine,” she announced.
The First Lady said just in the last 24 hours, 8 children have been reunited with their families.
She said she has also raised concerns about those who were minors when taken to Russia, but have since reached adulthood, and said Russia has agreed to return those who have turned 18 within a short period of time.
She said more children are also expected to be restored to their families in Ukraine in the immediate future.
WATCH the full announcement below:
The letter from Mrs. Trump to Putin, dated August 15, read as follows:
Dear President Putin,
Every child shares the same quiet dreams in their heart, whether born randomly into a nation’s rustic countryside or a magnificent city-center. They dream of love, possibility, and safety from danger.
As parents, it is our duty to nurture the next generation’s hope. As leaders, the responsibility to sustain our children extends beyond the comfort of a few. Undeniably, we must strive to paint a dignity-filled world for all – so that every soul may wake to peace, and so that the future itself is perfectly guarded.
A simple yet profound concept, Mr. Putin, as I am sure you agree, is that each generation’s descendants begin their lives with a purity – an innocence which stands above geography, government, and ideology.
Yet in today’s world, some children are forced to carry a quiet laughter, untouched by the darkness around them — a silent defiance against the forces that can potentially claim their future.
Mr. Putin, you can singlehandedly restore their melodic laughter.
In protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone — you serve humanity itself. Such a bold idea transcends all human division, and you, Mr. Putin, are fit to implement this vision with a stroke of the pen today.It is time.
Our incredible First Lady @MELANIATRUMP shared this powerful, deeply moving letter with President Putin. She speaks from the heart of every American in calling for a world where children, regardless of where they are born, can live in peace. pic.twitter.com/Soqrv1euAm
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) August 16, 2025
Follow us on X (Formerly Twitter.)
The DML News App: www.X.com/DMLNewsApp
