1 of 4 | Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and U.S. first lady Melania Trump (L) shake hands as they meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7, 2017. File Photo by Michael Klimentyev/EPA/Kremlin Pool
First lady Melania Trump called on Russian President Vladimir Put to protect the innocence of children in a letter made public by U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday.
The letter dated Friday was presented to Putin during his trip to Alaska to meet with President Trump on a potential cease-fire with Ukraine. Though the two presidents ended the summit without a deal, President Trump called it “an extremely productive meeting.”
“It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not just a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up,” Trump wrote Saturday morning in a Truth Social post.
President Trump also personally handed Putin the letter from the first lady, who had not traveled to Alaska for the summit.
Melania Trump’s letter didn’t explicitly mention the Ukraine war by name, but asks Putin to protect the innocence of children and foster peace. In doing so, “you will do more than serve Russia alone — you serve humanity itself,” she wrote.
“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,” the letter says.
A report released by the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission to Ukraine in July revealed there was a sharp increase — 200% — in the number of children killed or injured in Ukraine between March 1 and May 31. Between those dates, 222 children were killed or injured, compared to 73 between Dec. 1 and Feb. 28.
“There is no respite from the war for children across Ukraine,” said Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF regional director for Europe and Central Asia. “The situation for children is at a critical juncture, as intense attacks continue to not only destroy lives but disrupt every aspect of childhood.”
Data from the United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights shows 14,609 civilians in Ukraine were killed between the start of the war Feb. 24, 2022, and July 31, 2025, including 726 children. More than 37,000 civilians have sustained injuries, including 2,234 children.
The Russian government said 621 civilians have been killed through May 2025, with nearly 800 missing. The death toll includes 38 children.
After Friday’s Alaska summit failed to produce a cease-fire, President Trump announced that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would be traveling to Washington, D.C., for the two leaders to meet.
“If it all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Potentially, millions of people’s lives will be saved.”
