Melania Trump pens letter to Putin weeks after being branded Ukraine’s secret weapon | World | News
Melania Trump wrote a letter to Vladimir Putin, urging the Russian leader to think of children and end the war in Ukraine. The letter was hand-delivered to Putin by her husband Donald Trump during a high-stakes summit between the pair in Alaska on Friday.
The letter did not specifically name Ukraine but urged Putin to think of children and “an innocence which stands above geography, government, and ideology”. In the letter, Ms Trump wrote the Russian could “singlehandedly restore” the “melodic laughter” of children affected by the war. She finished the plea by saying Putin can help the children “with a stroke of the pen”.
Part of the letter reads: “A simple yet profound concept, Mr. Putin, as I am 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 singlehandedly 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.”
A copy of the letter, which was reportedly read by Putin as US and Russian officials watched on, was shared by Mr Trump on his Truth Social platform.
It was addressed to “Dear President Putin” and was hand-signed by the American First Lady.
Ukraine’s foreign minister said President Volodymyr Zelensky “conveyed his gratitude” to Mrs Trump for the letter during a call with the US President.
“This is a true act of humanism,” said Andrii Sybiha.
The letter comes weeks after British media suggested Mrs Trump could be Ukraine’s “secret weapon” with the White House appearing to closer align itself with Kyiv amid frustrations with the Kremlin’s approach to peace talks.
She grew up in the former Yugoslavia, with suggestions her childhood and sympathy for Ukraine’s struggles could be behind increasing American support.
Mr Trump told reporters last month: “I go home, I tell the first lady, ‘I spoke to Vladimir today, we had a wonderful conversation.’ And she says, ‘Oh really, another city was just hit.’”
Mary Jordan, author of The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump, told The Times the First Lady’s seeming fondness for Ukraine “is not surprising at all given she grew up in the former Yugoslavia, a country with no love for Russia”, adding: “She has more experience than other people in the cabinet trying to get her point across.”
She said Mrs Trump still regularly travels to Slovenia where she was raised.
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has reportedly seen Russia taking Ukrainian children out of their country so that they can be raised as Russians.
No agreement on ending the Ukraine war was reached during the talks in Alaska on Friday, although Mr Trump said they had “an extremely productive meeting”.
However, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said they reached an agreement to give Ukraine protections similar to NATO’s Article 5 mutual defence agreement.
He told CNN: “We got to an agreement that the United States and other European nations could effectively offer Article 5-like language to cover a security guarantee.”
