“Eight Children Have Been Rejoined With Their Families,” Melania Trump Announces After Talks With Putin

First Lady Melania Trump announced on Friday that eight Ukrainian children displaced by the war in Ukraine have been reunited with their families, following several months of communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The reunifications were confirmed by the U.S. government and facilitated through a combination of backchannel meetings and exchanges between representatives of the two countries.

In a public statement from the White House, Trump had established an “open channel of communication” with Putin over the past three months, focused specifically on the welfare of children affected by the conflict. She said, adding that both sides “agreed to cooperate with each other for the benefit of all people involved,” according to Politico.

Trump described the children reunited as having faced significant disruptions due to the war. Three of the eight had been separated from their parents and displaced inside Russia because of front-line fighting, while the other five were cut off from family members across borders since the early stages of the conflict. She noted that she had received documentation and photographs from Russian officials verifying the identities and conditions of the children, including a report prepared by the commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on human rights and the Russian presidential commissioner for children’s rights.

Progress Amidst Ongoing Conflict

The announcement marks one of the most substantive public initiatives from the First Lady since her husband’s return to office. The effort builds on earlier advocacy work by Trump, including the BE BEST initiative, which focuses on children’s well-being globally. The reunification effort follows her delivery of a letter to Putin during his visit to Anchorage, Alaska, in August, in which she urged him to prioritize the safe return of children affected by the war.

Trump described the initiative as ongoing, emphasizing her goal of establishing “a transparent, free-flow exchange of information surrounding all children who have fallen victim to this war” and facilitating regular communication between displaced children and their families. She also noted that discussions included individuals who had been minors when displaced but have since turned 18, with Moscow agreeing to “rejoin” those individuals with their families within a short period.

The First Lady’s efforts underscore a diplomatic channel maintained separately from formal presidential engagements. She described her mission as twofold: optimizing communication regarding displaced children and ensuring their return to families in a timely and secure manner. Trump emphasized that her communications with Putin were documented and coordinated with U.S. officials to verify outcomes and maintain accountability throughout the process.