WASHINGTON — First lady Melania Trump’s office said Thursday that she played a role in the return of an unspecified number of Ukrainian and Russian children separated from their families during the four-year-old conflict.
Trump “successfully united Russian and Ukrainian children with their families today,” her office said.
“For the third time, the US First Lady has helped facilitate the return of children to their families after they were separated because of the regional conflict.”
The statement did not say how many children of each nationality were affected.
Ukraine’s government says as many as 20,000 children have been taken from homes, orphanages, and boarding schools to Russia since the February 2022 invasion by Moscow — of whom 1,984 have been returned.
The Kremlin claims the children were taken for humanitarian reasons during fighting in eastern Ukraine, though Kyiv says they were abducted to be raised as Russians.
“I appreciate that Russia and Ukraine are dedicated to bringing back the children who have been displaced because of the circumstances surrounding this conflict,” Melania Trump said Thursday.
“Although all parties are cooperating and our communications remain robust, I urge Russia and Ukraine to intensify their efforts to ensure the safe return of every child to their families and guardians.”
The first lady, who is currently promoting a self-titled documentary, announced in October that she established an “open channel” with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss child reunification, leading to the return of eight children and plans for another five.
Her office said in December she helped with seven additional cases.
Melania Trump’s unusual diplomatic role began when President Trump handed Putin a letter she wrote about the children when the two leaders met in Alaska this past August.
Two months later, she summoned White House journalists for a surprise announcement that “President Putin and I have had an open channel of communication regarding the welfare of these children.”
The topic has been a key part of dormant peace talks, along with Putin’s demand for territorial concessions and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s request for Western military commitments to Ukraine’s defense.
“This is the most difficult issue,” Zelensky said in a December interview with a Polish news outlet. “It is very important that our partners raise it … If we don’t talk about it, Russia will do everything to make this issue be forgotten.”
