Kathrine Frich
Melania Trump’s announcement surprised both U.S. and foreign policy observers.
Her direct contact with Putin stands out amid her husband’s combative rhetoric toward Moscow and speculation about his health.
Melania Trump reveals private letter from Vladimir Putin
Melania Trump revealed that she had received a personal letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin in a surprise White House announcement.
The first lady said the message expressed a “willingness to engage with me directly” regarding the fate of Ukrainian children displaced by the ongoing war.
Putin’s message sparks diplomatic curiosity
The letter, reportedly delivered after the Trumps’ Alaska summit in August, has drawn international attention.
It marks an unusual moment of direct communication between the Russian leader and the U.S. first lady amid strained relations between Washington and Moscow.
“We have maintained an open channel of communication”
During her remarks, Melania said:
“Since then, President Putin and I have had an open channel of communication regarding the welfare of these children. For the past three months, both sides have participated in several back-channel meetings and calls, all in good faith.”
Her words suggested an ongoing, delicate dialogue outside formal diplomacy.
Eight children returned home to Ukraine
Melania Trump also announced that eight Ukrainian children taken to Russia had been returned to their families.
She described this as a “small but meaningful victory” and emphasized her hope that future humanitarian cooperation could continue.
Russia accused of deporting thousands of children
Her comments follow alarming reports that Russian authorities have moved thousands of Ukrainian children to camps and foster homes across Russia.
Last year, Kremlin-appointed official Leonid Pasechnik confirmed that more than 12,000 children from the Luhansk region alone were being “hosted” in Russia.
“Useful Vacations” or forced deportations?
A separate program titled “Useful Vacations” claimed to bring 40,000 Ukrainian children to summer camps, some as far away as Vladivostok, nearly 6,000 miles from Ukraine.
Independent researchers and human rights groups say these programs amount to deportations disguised as cultural exchanges.
ISW calls the camps “a tool of genocide”
Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) described the camps as “a fundamental component of Russia’s campaign to deport Ukrainians, including children.”
Their report accused Moscow of using “summer vacation” programs to conceal acts that qualify as genocide under international law.
Re-education and “Russification”
Investigations show that Ukrainian children sent to these camps are banned from speaking Ukrainian and are forced to study Russian language, history, and culture.
Many are shown propaganda films or taken to “patriotic” military sites, part of a broader campaign to erase their national identity.
ICC considers child transfers a war crime
Under Article 6 of the Rome Statute, the forcible transfer of children from one national or ethnic group to another is considered an act of genocide.
The International Criminal Court has already issued warrants for Russian officials over similar accusations of deporting Ukrainian minors.
This article is made and published by Kathrine Frich, which may have used AI in the preparation
