The latest and the first in-person meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin since the start of the Ukraine war in early 2022, took place in Alaska on Saturday (Indian time). Both the leaders reportedly discussed several matters including about the ongoing war. On the sidelines of the talk, US President Trump personally handed over a letter from First Lady Melania Trump to Russian President Putin, according to a report by Reuters.
While Melania Trump was not present at the high-profile talks, two White House officials confirmed to Reuters that her letter focused on the plight of children in Ukraine and Russia. They declined to disclose the full contents but added that it referenced the abductions of Ukrainian children as a result of the war.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Saturday that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had expressed gratitude to the First Lady during his phone call with Trump. “President Zelenskyy conveyed his gratitude…for her sincere attention and efforts to bring forcibly deported Ukrainian kids back. This is a true act of humanism,” Sybiha wrote on X.
Kyiv accuses Moscow of kidnapping minors
The issue has become one of the most sensitive and contentious aspects of the conflict. Kyiv accuses Moscow of forcibly taking tens of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia or Russian-controlled territories without the consent of their families or guardians. Ukraine has called the practice a war crime.
Russia, however, has defended its actions, insisting it is protecting vulnerable children from the dangers of the battlefield.
At the Alaska Summit, although Putin did not commit to a ceasefire, Trump described the negotiations as “very productive”. He added that the two leaders had “many points we agreed on”.
Russia media vs Melania Trump
Melania Trump has occasionally commented on the war in private, with Trump recalling that she often questioned Russia’s continued bombardment of Ukrainian cities even after his discussions with Putin. “I go home, I tell the First Lady, ‘You know, I spoke to Vladimir today. We had a wonderful conversation.’ And she said, ‘Oh really? Another city was just hit,’” Trump had told USA Today in July.
In recent weeks, Melania Trump has also been targeted by Russian state media, with one prominent pro-Kremlin television host labeling her a “Ukrainian agent”.