During talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska, U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a letter from First Lady Melania Trump concerning abducted Ukrainian children.
That is according to Reuters, citing two White House officials, Ukrinform reports.
Slovenian-born Melania Trump was not on the trip to Alaska.
In her letter, she raised the plight of children in Ukraine and Russia, the officials said.
“The officials would not divulge the contents of the letter other than to say it mentioned the abductions of children resulting from the war in Ukraine. The existence of the letter was not previously reported,” Reuters wrote.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the Russian Federation has deported or forcibly transferred more than 19,500 Ukrainian children.
The actual number of Ukrainian children taken by Russia may be significantly higher than currently confirmed.
As of late July, Ukraine had managed to return 1,458 children from Russia, but more than 1.6 million Ukrainian children remain under enemy control.
On March 17, 2023, judges of the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Russian Children’s Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, charging them with war crimes related to the unlawful deportation and transfer of population, including children.
Putin and Lvova-Belova face arrest in any country that has ratified the Rome Statute.
Source: Trump handed Putin letter from his wife about abducted Ukrainian children – Reuters
