Lvova-Belova: Melania Trump helped reunite children with families in Russia and Ukraine

Russian children’s ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova has said that U.S. First Lady Melania Trump took part in the process of reuniting Russian and Ukrainian children with their families.

This is stated in the annual report on the children’s ombudsman’s activities, as transmitted by TASS.

According to Lvova-Belova, family reunifications are carried out through an established working channel that allows her to contact the Ukrainian side with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Holy See, and with the participation of the U.S. First Lady.

The ombudsman specified that as of the end of last year, 29 children from 21 families had returned to their relatives in Russia, and 129 children from 104 families had returned to Ukraine and other countries.

In August 2025, during the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska, Melania Trump passed a letter to the Russian leader through her husband, devoted to the issue of Ukrainian children. The Kremlin did not publicly comment on receipt of the message.

In October 2025, Melania Trump stated that Putin had responded to her letter. According to her, eight Ukrainian children were reunited with their families following the Alaska talks. She also mentioned the existence of a direct “communication channel” with the Russian leader and said an agreement had been reached to cooperate “for the benefit of all people” involved in the Ukrainian conflict.

Later, the U.S. First Lady conveyed to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko a request to speak with Putin about Ukrainian children allegedly taken to Russia.