- Melania Trump wrote a peace letter to Vladimir Putin on the Ukraine war's impact on children
- Donald Trump delivered the letter to Putin during their Alaska meeting
- The letter urges protecting children's innocence beyond geography and ideology
US First Lady Melania Trump wrote a "peace" letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the plight of children in the Ukraine war, urging him to "protect their innocence". US President Donald Trump hand-delivered the letter to his Russian counterpart during their meeting in Alaska on Saturday.
Without naming Ukraine, Ms Trump highlighted the impact of the conflict on children and said that every child "dreams of love, possibility, and safety from danger".
"Every child shares the same quiet dreams in their heart, whether born randomly into a nation's rustic countryside or a magnificent city-center. They dream of love, possibility, and safety from danger. As parents, it is our duty to nurture the next generation's hope. As leaders, the responsibility to sustain our children extends beyond the comfort of a few. Undeniably, we must strive to paint a dignity-filled world for all - so that every soul may wake to peace, and so that the future itself is perfectly guarded," she wrote.
Ms Trump further said that "each generation's descendants begin their lives with a purity - an innocence which stands above geography, government, and ideology".
"Yet in today's world, some children are forced to carry a quiet laughter, untouched by the darkness around them a silent defiance against the forces that can potentially claim their future. Mr. Putin, you can singlehandedly restore their melodic laughter," the letter read.
She told Mr Putin that by protecting the innocence of children, he would do "more than serve Russia alone" - serve humanity.
"In protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone you serve humanity itself. Such a bold idea transcends all human division, and you, Mr. Putin, are fit to implement this vision with a stroke of the pen today. It is time," she said.
The letter comes a month after Ukraine accused Russia of abducting children during its ongoing invasion, forcing them into military service once they turn 18, and sending them to fight against their own people. Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said the disturbing practice is part of a "coordinated, state-driven plan" approved by Mr Putin.
The Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, which partnered with Kyiv to trace missing Ukrainian children, documented dozens of Russian-run indoctrination camps, reported The New York Post. According to the report, children are immersed in Russian culture, forbidden from speaking Ukrainian, and shaped into what the Kremlin calls "ideal citizens" in the camps.
In 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued an arrest warrant to Mr Putin, citing child abductions as a central charge. The Kremlin, however, had denied any wrongdoing and called the warrant "outrageous and unacceptable".
