Melania Trump helps another group of Ukrainian children stolen by Russia to return home
US First Lady Melania Trump has facilitated the return of abducted Ukrainian children to their families for the fifth time.
Source: The White House
Details: In a statement, the White House said a total of five children, whose personal details have not been disclosed, have been reunited with their families.
"Every reunion is a reminder that compassion, dignity and family can transcend even the darkest of times: war. My representative and I continue working with the governments of Russia and Ukraine to safely return children to their families and communities," Melania stated.
In August 2025, the media reported that the US president's wife had written a letter to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin about the abduction of children. The contents of the letter, which was handed over during Trump and Putin's meeting in Alaska, were not disclosed in detail at the time.
Several months later, the First Lady declared that she had an "open channel of communication" with Putin, who she said was willing to work with her on the return of abducted Ukrainian children. Donald Trump later told journalists that his wife devotes considerable attention to the plight of children abducted by Russia and "feels strongly" about them.
In December 2025, Melania announced that six boys and one girl had returned to Ukraine, adding that she and her representative had provided humanitarian support from the US to "enhance the reunification initiative's outcome".
The White House subsequently announced several further instances in which the First Lady facilitated the return of Ukrainian children to their families. The most recent such reunion took place in April 2026.
According to UK Defence Intelligence data, Russia has abducted at least 19,500 Ukrainian children. Some have been placed in "re-education" camps and are mobilised into the Russian forces when they reach the age of 18.
Information on over 19,000 recorded instances of children being forcibly taken to Russian territory is being examined by Ukrainian law enforcement agencies.
A recent OSCE report established that Russia is systematically, with state-level approval, imposing its own education and citizenship on children in Ukraine's occupied territories and coercing them into military service.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon to help us keep reporting!