First Lady Melania Trump announced from the White House that she and Russian President Vladimir Putin have maintained an “open channel of communication” concerning children impacted by the Russia-Ukraine war.
The First Lady delivered a speech from the Blue Room of the White House on Friday morning, saying that her representative has been working directly with the Russian president. Melania emphasized that, so far, eight children have already been returned to their families in the past 24 hours.
“We must foster a future for our children which is rich with potential, security, and complete with free will. A world where dreams will be realized rather than faded by war,” Melania insisted.
In August, Melania shared a letter addressed to Putin calling for peace and urging him to think of the children affected by the war.
“Mr. Putin, you can singlehandedly restore their melodic laughter,” Melania’s letter read. “In protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone — you serve humanity itself.”
There have been several recent developments since the Russian leader received her message, she added.
“[Putin] responded in writing, signaling a willingness to engage with me directly and outlining details regarding Ukrainian children residing in Russia,” Melania explained on Friday. “And since then, President Putin and I have had an open channel of communication regarding the welfare of these children.”
Three of the eight children that were reunited with their parents in the past day had been “displaced to the Russian Federation because of frontline fighting. The other five were separated from family members across borders because of the conflict,” according to the First Lady.
She continued, explaining that they were able to identify the children due to the Russian Federation’s willingness to cooperate, and that they even provided photos and biographies for each of the “lost” children — which the U.S. government has since confirmed to be accurate.
In 2022, the International Criminal Court said that it had issued an arrest warrant for Putin, citing war crimes and accusing him of being personally responsible for the abductions of children from Ukraine.
“As First Lady, this is an important initiative for me, “Melania said. “It is built on shared purpose and lasting impact. My ongoing mission is twofold: To optimize a transparent free-flow exchange of health-related information surrounding all children who have fell victim to this war, and to facilitate the regular communication of children with their families until each individual returns home.”
She further noted that she has expressed concerns regarding displaced persons in Russia as well, who were children at the onset of the war and have now come of age amid ongoing displacement.
“Given the dangers of traversing this war-torn region, their safe return requires coordinated assistance,” Melania said. “This remains an ongoing effort. Plans are already underway to reunify more children in the immediate future. I hope peace will come soon. It can begin with our children.”
