The letter from the President of the USA's wife was handed over to the Russian President by Donald Trump in connection with the summit in Alaska over the weekend. It was described as a peace letter, dealt with protecting the world's children – and has been noted as a cunning way to pressure the Russian leader regarding abducted children in the war in Ukraine.
"As soon as he received the letter, Putin read it, while the USA's and Russia's delegations looked on", writes Fox News.
No further reaction from Russia has yet come. But at Monday's Ukraine meetings in Washington, President Volodymyr Zelenskyj had a new letter with him. "I asked President Trump to forward a thank-you letter from Ukraine's First Lady, Olena Zelenska" to Melania Trump, writes the Ukrainian President on X.
"We deeply appreciate her compassion and her letter to Putin", explains Zelenskyj. "Her voice is important, and her commitment gives this issue strength"
Abducting Ukrainian children has been described by Western assessors as a clear Russian strategy in the war in Ukraine. Researchers at Yale in the USA have calculated that over 35,000 children from Ukraine are being held in Russia.
Taking away children in that way is classified in international law as a key part of committing genocide. And it is the accusation of "illegal deportation" of Ukrainian children that means the International Criminal Court (ICC) has been seeking Vladimir Putin for war crimes since 2023.
