Melania Trump in talks with Putin on reuniting Ukrainian children with families
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5549465-melania-trump-reunites-ukrainian-children/
First lady Melania Trump said Friday she has been in communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin about reuniting Ukrainian children displaced by war with their families.
The first lady gave a rare public address to detail her efforts, which started last August when she wrote to Putin to raise concerns about children who had been separated from their families and were impacted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Much has unfolded since President Putin received my letter last August. He responded in writing, signaling a willingness to engage with me directly and outlining details regarding the Ukrainian children residing in Russia,” Trump said in remarks from the White House.
“Since then, President Putin and I have had an open channel of communication regarding the welfare of these children,” the first lady continued. “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.”
The first lady said eight Ukrainian children have been reunited with their families in the past 24 hours. Three of those children were separated from their families and sent to Russia amid fighting in Ukraine, she said, and five were separated from family members across borders amid the conflict.
In addition, the first lady said Russia had agreed to return those who were displaced during the war as minors but have since turned 18 “within a short period of time.”
“This remains an ongoing effort. Plans are already underway to reunifty more children in the immediate future,” Trump said. “I hope peace will come soon. It can begin with our children.”
More than 19,000 children were deported or transferred from Ukraine to Russia amid the war, according to a Ukrainian government tracker. Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
President Trump has for months attempted to broker a deal to end the fighting in Ukraine, but to no avail despite claiming during the 2024 campaign he would be able to do so within 24 hours of taking office.
President Trump hosted Putin for a meeting in Alaska in August, but it did not lead to concrete commitments to stop the fighting. He has also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders to discuss efforts to pressure Moscow, including by getting European nations to stop purchasing Russian oil and gas.
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