Melania Trump Quietly Reunites 8 Ukrainian Children with Families After Direct Talks with Putin

First Lady Melania Trump revealed Friday that she played a pivotal behind-the-scenes role in reuniting eight Ukrainian children with their families—children who had been taken during what Russia labeled “evacuation” efforts, but which many international observers call forced deportations.

In a rare, solemn appearance in the White House’s grand foyer, Melania announced the reunifications and detailed a months-long quiet diplomatic push that included direct communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “A child’s soul knows no borders,” she began.

According to the first lady, she initiated contact with Putin through a personal letter delivered during President Trump’s August 15 summit with the Russian leader in Alaska. She said, “Much has unfolded since President Putin received my letter,” noting that the letter opened a rare direct channel between the Kremlin and the White House.

“Since then, President Putin and I have had an open channel of communication,” Melania Trump explained. “Several back channel meetings and calls” followed, and her personal representative has been working with Putin’s inner circle to locate and return displaced children to their families in Ukraine.

These eight children are the first to be successfully repatriated through this diplomatic track, but Melania indicated more efforts are already underway.

Her initiative runs parallel to Ukraine’s “Bring Back Kids” campaign, led by First Lady Olena Zelenska. The two women met privately for 20 minutes during the UN General Assembly in New York last month, where they discussed joint efforts to return children taken during the war. Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Olha Stefanishyna told the New York Post that Zelenska offered Melania Trump heartfelt thanks “for her soft power and for her messages.”

Ukraine has struggled to repatriate its youngest victims of war, with officials stating that more than 19,500 Ukrainian children remain unaccounted for—many seized from schools, orphanages, and homes in occupied territories during Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

Melania Trump said she has no intention of stopping her efforts. “Plans are already underway” to help more children reconnect with their loved ones, she confirmed.

While the first lady has largely remained out of the political spotlight, this humanitarian achievement has drawn praise across the political spectrum. Her efforts, quietly coordinated at the highest levels of diplomacy, highlight the unique influence she continues to wield in advancing humanitarian causes under President Trump’s leadership.