WASHINGTON (TNND) — First Lady Melania Trump celebrated on Thursday the reunification of a fifth group of Ukrainian and Russian children with their families after they were separated by the more than four-year war.
Her office said in a statement that five children were reunited with loved ones, bringing the total number of children reunited through the initiative to 27.
The first lady’s office said the latest effort marks “another step toward ensuring that innocent kids can safely return to their homes, communities and the people who care for them.”
Melania also highlighted the importance of placing children above international disputes, saying “every reunion is a reminder that compassion, dignity, and family can transcend even the darkest of times: war.”
The latest reunifications build on an initiative Melania launched last August after learning that Ukrainian children had been taken from their country and raised in Russia amid the war.
She wrote a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which President Donald Trump later delivered during a meeting with the Russian leader in Alaska. In the letter, Melania urged Putin to think of the children in Ukraine and Russia who had been separated from their families by the conflict.
Melania later said Putin responded in writing and that the two established an “open channel of communication” to discuss the welfare of children affected by the war.
“For the past three months, both sides have participated in several backchannel meetings and calls. All in good faith. We have agreed to cooperate with each other for the benefit of all people involved in this war,” Melania said.
Ukraine has accused Russia of forcibly transferring thousands of Ukrainian children into Russia or Russian-controlled territory since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. Moscow has maintained that many of the transfers were carried out to protect children from the fighting, while Ukraine and its allies have argued many were unlawful deportations.