First lady Melania Trump is appealing to Russia to return thousands of Ukrainian children to their families in a personal letter to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, that was hand-delivered by President Trump at the Alaska summit.

White House officials disclosed the letter to Reuters, confirming that Mr. Trump had passed it along to Mr. Putin. The officials would not provide details of the letter except to say it mentioned the abductions of children resulting from the war, the news agency said.

However Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, made reference to the letter in a Saturday posting on X describing a post-summit phone call between Mr. Trump and Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

“During the conversation, President Zelensky also conveyed his gratitude to First Lady Melania Trump for her sincere attention and efforts to bring forcibly deported Ukrainian kids back,” Mr. Sybiha wrote. “This is a true act of humanism.”

Ukrainian officials say Russia has committed war crimes by forcibly taking tens of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia and Russian-controlled areas without their parents’ or guardians’ permission, arguing this meets the United Nations definition of genocide.

The U.N. human rights office says Russia has caused suffering for millions of Ukrainian children and violated their rights since invading Ukraine in 2022.

“Their rights have been undermined in every aspect of life, leaving deep scars, both physical and psychosocial,” U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk said in March.
In remarks following Friday’s summit, Mr. Trump said the meeting with Mr. Putin had been “very productive” but that the leaders had fallen short of agreement on a ceasefire to stop the fighting in Ukraine.

In his own remarks, Mr. Putin bemoaned the strained relations between America and Russia, which he said had hindered progress on talks to end the war in Ukraine. 

Mr. Sybiha, in his X posting, stressed the importance of transatlantic unity in seeking a just end to the war.

“That is why the strategy of peace through strength remains our priority,” he wrote. “Increased pressure on Moscow and strengthening for Ukraine are critical components to advance peace.

“During this decisive time, we coordinate closely with all of our allies and thank them for their support and unity. Transatlantic unity is paramount to achieving lasting peace and security for all of us.”