First Lady Trump Involved in Efforts to Reunite Separated Children Amidst Ukraine War
Melania Trump revealed Friday she has been engaged in behind-the-scenes efforts to facilitate the return of Ukrainian children separated from thier families during the ongoing conflict with Russia. she described “several back channel meetings and calls” resulting in an agreement to cooperate “for the benefit of all people involved in this war.”
According to Ms. Trump, her “representative” has been working directly with president Putin’s team to secure the safe reunification of children with their families. In the last 24 hours, eight children have been returned to their families. Three of these children were displaced to Russia due to frontline fighting, while the remaining five were separated from family members across borders consequently of the conflict, including one Russian girl repatriated to Russia.
While Ms. Trump characterized these separations as consequences of the fighting, ukrainian officials and human rights organizations have documented evidence of Russian forces actively seizing and forcibly deporting Ukrainian children to Russia.The Institute for the Study of War reported in March that Ukraine has verified nearly 19,500 children deported by Russia, acknowledging the true number is likely considerably higher, particularly concerning vulnerable children.
These deportations have led to serious international repercussions. In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, accusing him of war crimes related to the unlawful deportation and transfer of children from occupied ukrainian territories to Russia – allegations the Russian government denies.
Ms. Trump stated that Moscow has, over the past three months, demonstrated a willingness to provide detailed information about the children, including biographical data, photographs, and reports on the social, medical, and psychological services they received while in Russian custody. She confirmed that the U.S. government, in cooperation with the Ukrainian government, has verified this information.
This initiative builds on Ms. Trump’s previous involvement in shaping the american response to the war. President Donald Trump previously shared that his wife frequently reminded him of Ukrainian civilian casualties following his conversations with Putin, often pointing out attacks that occurred after he described the calls as positive.
Ms. Trump described her work on behalf of the children as an “ongoing mission” and an “vital initiative.” She plans to focus on establishing a “transparent free flow exchange of health related information” for all children affected by the war and facilitating regular interaction between children and their families until their return. Further plans are underway to return more children to Ukraine “in the immediate future,” and Russia has reportedly agreed to return adults who were kidnapped as minors and have sence reached the age of 18 while in captivity.
