Melania Trump’s letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed: ‘Children dream of safety from danger’

In a rare and poignant gesture, US first lady Melania Trump has made a personal appeal for peace, writing directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a call to protect children caught in the crossfire of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and Russia.

The handwritten letter was personally delivered by her husband, US President Donald Trump, during his recent summit with Mr Putin in Alaska.

While two White House officials told Reuters that the letter addressed the abductions of children resulting from the war in Ukraine, the letter that Mr Trump shared on his Truth Social account on Sunday (local time) made no mention of that issue.

The First Lady wrote: “Every child shares the same quiet dreams in their heart, whether born randomly into a nation’s rustic countryside or a magnificent city-centre. 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.

“A simple yet profound concept, Mr Putin, as I’m sure you agree, is 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 single-handedly restore their melodic laughter.

“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.”

Although the Slovenian-born former First Lady was not present at Friday’s summit in Alaska, Mr Trump has repeatedly stated his wife has been deeply disturbed by the ongoing war and its effects on children.

He has described sharing updates from his conversations with Mr Putin at home, noting that Melania would react strongly when hearing about new attacks.

“I go home, I tell the First Lady, ‘I spoke with Vladimir today. We had a wonderful conversation.’ She said: ‘Really? Another city was just hit’,” Mr Trump recounted to reporters.

Russia’s seizure of Ukrainian children has been a deeply sensitive one for Ukraine.

Ukraine has called the abductions of tens of thousands of its children taken to Russia or Russian-occupied territory without the consent of family or guardians a war crime that meets the UN treaty definition of genocide.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky conveyed his gratitude to the First Lady on his call with Mr Trump on Saturday, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister said.

“This is a true act of humanism,” Andrii Sybiha added on X.

Previously Moscow has said it has been protecting vulnerable children from a war zone.

The United Nations Human Rights Office has said Russia has inflicted suffering on millions of Ukrainian children and violated their rights since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Mr Trump and Mr Putin met for nearly three hours at a US military base in Anchorage without reaching a ceasefire deal in the war in Ukraine.

- With Reuters